Time
by Elentaari
Summary: AMFG I'M BACK! CHAPTER 93 IS UP AND I HOPE YOU GUYS DIDN'T FORGET ABOUT ME! Marines in Middle Earth fall in love. Boromir lives? WOOO LEMONY GOODNESS! (lots o' sex and violence and cursing) Enjoy! :9
1. From Sleep Come Dreams

Disclaimer: I hold no claims to the original LOTR cast (Holly and Rachel are mine)  
  
A/N: none (no flames)  
  
Time: From Sleep Come Dreams  
  
Rachel and Holly stood on a hill in the middle of nowhere, looking at a lake below them as the sun set.  
  
"Hey, Rae."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Wanna go swimmin'?" Holly asked. Her friend had had some rough times in the past and Holly wanted to make her forget everything that had happened. She wanted Rachel to forget Jake and Bryan and all of her men that had died that day. Rachel, the lethal and serious type, was not a person who easily forgot anything and Holly, the spontaneous and cheerful type, knew it well.  
  
"Not particularly," Rachel said, squinting against the orange sky. Holly sighed and examined the rolling, green hills, slightly swaying oak trees, and glistening lake around them. She also decided to count cows. Totally forgetting Rachel, Holly remembered when she was young. It was her aunt's farm then, but now it belonged to her. There were some eighty cows on the property, but Holly just let them roam. Many of the cats were still around or their children were. The small cemetery one would see as they drove down Lover's Lane, or Swartz Lane, was still there, but the stone walls were collapsing. Laughing, she remembered when Rachel came to visit for the second time when they were about fifteen. She and Aunt Betsy had found a dead hawk in a field and wanted to have some feathers and Aunt Betsy wanted a wing. Rachel got a pair of scissors and a hatchet and got what everyone wanted including the head, wings, claws, and a bunch of feathers. She was the only one who wasn't grossed out. Holly still had the tail feathers Rachel had plucked somewhere in her room.  
  
"I'm sleepy! You wanna sleep out here? It's warm enough," Holly commented, hoping to get some expression out of Rachel. She just nodded and stared at the sky, waiting for the stars to come out. The sky was almost purple now.  
  
"How about you get some blankets from the house. It'll get cold tonight," Rachel said finally. She didn't move and Holly walked away and toward the large, white farm house in the distance, thinking sadly. Her friend was wearing her mission uniform. It was similar, in most aspects, to the uniforms of the Delta forces. Rachel was always wearing her uniforms and dog tags. They had been marines...Scorpions: the most elite force in the military and Rachel had been in command of them. She was only twenty- two when they recruited her and twenty-four when they made her commanding officer. A military prodigy. Although she was so young, she was great at her job...killing people without making noise and doing it intelligently. She was an unbelievable strategist and linguistic. After some misfortunes, Rachel had resigned. Holly didn't have a choice in the matter. A year before Rachel's mishaps, a jealous co-officer attacked her, threw her in a closet, busted open one of her eyes and shattered her knee cap. Rachel had offered her a desk job, but Holly was more the outdoors-ee type and declined. Although she was expressionless, Rachel was depressed, sad, and lonely without her men...her family. She was twenty-seven (Holly twenty- eight) and with everyday, her depression got worse. She was pulling herself into a shell.  
  
"Lily! Get out!" Holly yelled at one of the cats. It was supposed to be outside, but somehow it got in and was batting at a goldfish by the sink. Holly kicked Lily out and reached into a linen closet, pulling out two wool blankets and pillows. Before leaving, she grabbed Rachel's guns and her utility belt (equipped with stars and two daggers) along with some polishing supplies. Rae would want to clean up her stuff in case of need for them. There wouldn't be any need, but it made her feel secure...and like a soldier.  
  
"Hey, Rae! I brought your gear and supplies in case you wanted to work on them," Holly said huffing and puffing as she climbed the hill. Rachel had barely moved. She turned around and thanked Holly, a smile on her face. She barely smiled anymore and Holly was grateful that she could make her do that. Laying down her blanket, Holly collapsed sleepily and reached into her back pack, pulling out a hair brush. She combed her short, blonde hair and looked at herself in a small mirror, her brown eyes staring back.  
  
"Could I use your brush, Hol?" Rachel asked. Holly tossed the brush backwards and watched through the mirror as Rachel caught it effortlessly. She threw her long, blonde-red hair over her shoulder and started brushing. It took her a few minutes, but when she was done, she put it in Holly's bag.  
  
"You should get out more, Rae. Forget about everything and have some fun!" Holly complained. Rachel put on her utility belt and stared at her friend with intense, grey-green eyes. They seemed so penetrating; as if they saw everything inside a person. Almost...like a cat...a big one at that. Holly shuddered and decided that Rachel had tortured one too many Taliban soldiers in the past.  
  
"I do get out...Just not in the fashion you propose," Rachel said, whipping out a dagger. She began to walk away and Holly stood up.  
  
"Where you goin'?"  
  
"Out," Rachel called over her shoulder. Holly laughed and yelled back.  
  
"Lunatic! I'm sleeping now!"  
  
She yawned and fell asleep quickly, snuggling with her warm, wool comforter.  
  
Rachel, in the meantime, threw a dagger or two at a nearby tree. She stopped once in a while to listen to the coyotes and the cows. After about twenty minutes of throwing, she sheathed her daggers and went back to her blanket, feeling groggy.  
  
"Holly?" she asked, but was answered only with snores. Sighing, Rachel turned over and fell into the restless sleep she had dreamt nightmares in for the past year and a half. 


	2. Female Intruders

Time: Female intruders  
  
Disclaimer: They're not mine….I don't own a thing…DAMNIT!  
  
  
  
"Who d'you suppose they are, Strider?" asked a small, merry voice. Rachel opened her eyes only to see that she was bound hand and foot. Knowing not to struggle, she turned slightly to see if Holly was awake yet or if she was even there. She was and still sleeping soundly with no clue. Rolling her eyes, Rachel remembered her daggers. If she was lucky...yes! They were still there. Whoever had kidnapped them was extremely dumb. Cutting the rope with a blade, she freed herself and began working on Holly, listening to the strangers at a nearby camp.  
  
"I don't know, but their clothes are very strange to me, Pippin. And these...they could be weapons of some sort but none that I have ever seen."  
  
Rachel reached for her pack a few yards away and searched for her guns. Finally, not finding them, she decided that those were what the group was examining and punched at the dust.  
  
"They certainly do not seem to be from this world."  
  
"Indeed not! I've never seen any Man dress as they do!"  
  
"But they are women!"  
  
Rachel freed Holly and awoke her silently. Holly was quiet (Rachel's hand was over her mouth) and slowly got up. Holly watched as Rachel approached the camp and mouthed a word of caution. Holly inched her way backwards and finally began to run. Suddenly she fell, cursing, to the ground. Rachel sighed irritably and rolled her eyes.  
  
"Ouch! Shit!" she screamed, feeling her knee. Many of the men in the group sprang to their feet and Rachel grabbed one with a shield and sword and pulled him to the ground, knocking him unconscious as the others looked toward Holly.  
  
"Boromir, Gimli and you four! Grab that girl!" said a man. When he got no reply from Gimli or Boromir (Rachel had grabbed the dwarf while the other was giving orders) he spun, only to be kicked in the chest. Rachel rolled as an arrow narrowly missed her head and punctured a log behind her. She glanced toward Holly and saw her duck behind a boulder as four children- like men raced after her. A tall man with a bow and arrow ready to spring jumped forward as the other stood again and Rachel rushed at him. She grabbed his bow and twisted it from his grip, throwing it to the ground. She kicked him against a tree and threw a dagger behind her, barely missing the other man who ran at her from behind.  
  
"I'm rusty," she said, placing her other dagger at the arrowless man's neck. She cut him on the side of the neck and he flinched, but barely.  
  
"Who are you and where are we?" she asked forcefully. The man behind her was motionless and without any options other than to watch as his friend was overpowered by a human woman.  
  
"I am Legolas, son of Thranduil, King of Mirkwood," he replied. Rachel was suddenly reminded of Tolkien's books of Middle-Earth and pressed harder with her dagger. Those books were one of the only positive things left in her life. Tolkein and Shakespeare were what took up her spare time.  
  
"Don't lie! Middle-Earth and its people are only in books! You live in a fantasy world!" she yelled. The smaller men dragged Holly back at that point and Rachel snapped her head at them. Holly shrugged.  
  
"They have swords!" she complained. Rachel rolled her eyes and was suddenly thrown from the man beneath her. She dodged a sword and pulled her other dagger from a tree nearby. Rushing forward, she rolled between the two men and held a dagger at both of their necks.  
  
"Where are we? Tell me the truth or I'll kill both of you!"  
  
"Take her seriously! She's done it before!" Holly cried. Rachel told her to shut up and glared at the two men. The four children stared at her in shock and Holly took it to her advantage. She snagged a sword from one of them and held it to one of their necks. They yelled in terror, but didn't move. The short man and the one with a shield on his back stood up, rubbing their heads. An old man still sat on a boulder with his pipe, not moving, but only watching the chaos.  
  
"What happened?" the taller man asked. He looked forward and saw two of his comrades being held hostages by the woman they had caught earlier.  
  
"Where are we?" Rachel asked again, more forcefully and sending a trickle of blood down her captives necks. Holly just followed her lead, but didn't make the child bleed. She thought that would be inhumane.  
  
"You are in Middle-Earth, my dear. Where else would you be?" asked the old man. Rachel stared at him in shock. She couldn't beleive she hadn't seen him sitting there the entire time.  
  
"In Southern Ohio in the United States of America in North America on the planet Earth. Now tell me old man, what are you doing on our property!"  
  
"I don't believe this is your land. Take a look around. Does it look like your Ohio?"  
  
"Not in the least," Rachel said without blinking. She was scared to death. Holly was terrified. They had to find out anything they could in order to get home.  
  
"Please, I'm Gandalf. Your captives are Aragorn and Legolas and neither of them will hurt you if you drop your blades. I promise you," he said in a kindly tone. Rachel didn't move, but Holly dropped the small sword and walked forward.  
  
"Are we really in Middle-Earth?" she asked, mystified. Gandalf nodded his head and Rachel snorted.  
  
"I don't trust this, Holly, and neither should you!"  
  
"Don't you remember when we were kids and we wanted something like this to happen? Well, it's happening! You're just too pissed off at yourself to see it!" Holly yelled. Rachel, fury in her every move, threw the two men forward and put her daggers on the ground. They spun around as she stood straight and, with a glance from Gandalf, put their weapons away too.  
  
"Now, tell me, what happened?" he asked, still smoking his pipe. Holly explained falling asleep and waking up there while Rachel stood, ever watchful.  
  
"I see. So my calling on Valar has come to play. You are from a different world, are you not? You are warriors?" he asked excitedly. Holly nodded and Rachel glanced at him, but mainly kept her eyes on all those who carried weapons. The children sat down beside Gandalf and Rachel came to realize that they were hobbits. She became extremely angry.  
  
"So let me guess, old man. You're Gandalf the wizard, he's Aragorn, the Heir of Isildor, he's Boromir the Steward of Gondor, he's Legolas, the Prince of Mirkwood, he's Gimli the Dwarf, and these four are Samwise Gamgee, Peregrin Took, Frodo Baggins, and Meriadoc Brandybuck. Am I right?" she asked, nearly holding herself back from ripping his neck off his shoulders. When Holly and she were in their early teens, a movie was made about Tolkein's trilogy. The people standing in front of her looked exactly as the actors had. He nodded and Rachel growled, making the hobbits in front of her shiver and retreat a few steps.  
  
"She's worse than the Ringwraiths!" Pippin whispered to Frodo. Rachel's head shot toward him and he froze.  
  
"I'm your worst nightmare, Pippin and if you underestimate me, you won't live to see another day," she said calmly, fire flickering in her eyes.  
  
"Rae! Will you give it a break? Look! He has elf ears!" Holly yelled at her friend, tugging on Legolas' ears. He stepped away from her irritably and rolled his eyes in agitation. Then she went to the hobbits.  
  
"They got the feet and the ears!" she pointed out. Rachel sighed and relaxed slightly, but not enough for anyone to notice. She had indeed noticed and was convinced that they weren't lying.  
  
"Fellowship of the Ring, are you? Well, Gandalf the Grey, what do you want with us?" she asked wearily. Gandalf stood and walked forward. He was almost concerned for the women in front of him. They seemed to know much more than they let on. The one who seemed enraged, Rachel, seemed to be tired. Almost as if she was giving up on everything, but not all at the same time. She fought every second of her life with all the ferocity and more than she proved she held a moment ago.  
  
"We need you to help us. You may not be within the books Tolkein writes, but you will help the Fellowship a great deal and maybe even find peace here that you could not at home," he said, approaching her. Rachel looked up at him and he handed her her daggers. He got close and said in a whisper, "After all, your men and friends died because of you. Don't you want to make it up to them by helping others? Don't you want to let Jake and Bryan rest peacefully in their graves?"  
  
Rachel jumped to her feet and held out a dagger.  
  
"How dare you! I will not let you say anymore if you speak of them again! Do you understand me, Gandalf?" she yelled. Holly and the rest watched silently as Gandalf nodded his head quickly. Rachel, not wanting to kill him, roared and threw her dagger forcefully at a knot in a tree trunk, hitting it squarely in the middle before walking away. Holly told the others not to follow. She knew Rachel would be back. After all, she left her guns at the campsite. 


	3. Morning Revealings

"Where's your companion, Holly?" Aragorn asked the next morning. Holly looked at him with blurry eyes, yawning as she stood up.  
  
"She'll be here. She just needs to calm down. And if she's not back soon, just look for a mutilated tree trunk," she said tiredly. Aragorn sighed and watched the sun rise, noticing a figure sitting on a small cliff.  
  
"There! You had better retrieve her, Holly," he said, pointing at Rachel's distant figure. Holly walked to her friend and sat down.  
  
"This place is so cool, huh?" she asked, trying to start a light conversation. Rachel didn't move.  
  
"When do we leave?" she asked finally. Holly looked at her and then into the rising sun.  
  
"I think in an hour. C'mon, we need to have breakfast," Holly said, standing. She held out her hand and Rachel took hold, remembering Jake and Bryan and the rest of her men. That was all she had been thinking about since the wizard brought up the subject. Jake was a Scorpion under Rachel's command, but he was also her fiancé before he was killed during their last mission. Bryan was also a marine, but not a Scorpion. They had gone through boot camp together. Bryan committed suicide after his comrades found out that he was homosexual. In all, Rachel was responsible for thirty-eight of her soldiers' deaths and she had to deliver thirty-nine (including Bryan's) black letters (a letter a soldier writes to his family in case he's killed in action). It was horrible and it stuck in her mind.  
  
"I'm not hungry," Rachel said. Holly sighed and shook her head, pulling Rachel down the hill and toward camp. All nine men were sitting around the ashen campfire, eating an apple or a piece of bread. Rachel and Holly sat beside each other, but neither talked, until Aragorn spoke to them.  
  
"What are your names and stories? I like to know my comrades," he asked. Holly began when Rachel would not speak.  
  
"Holly Marie Warren. I'm an ex-Marine. It's a division in the military. Well, I was actually in the corps called Scorpions. They are the most elite force in the military. A couple of years ago I shattered my knee cap and busted my eye open because of a jackass lieutenant and I had to resign my position. I'm twenty-eight, by the way," she finished. There was a few moments of awkward silence and Holly hit Rachel in the side. She growled deep in her throat and sighed, knowing she couldn't get out of telling her story too. If she didn't, Holly would for her.  
  
"Rachel Gwyneth Conaway-Bennison. Ex-Scorpion. I was their commanding officer for three years and resigned two years ago. Twenty-seven," she said briefly. Aragorn looked at her quizzically.  
  
"Why did you resign?" he asked. Rachel looked at the ground before reaching into her bag and grabbing a gun.  
  
"After my last mission, I didn't have any men to command," she said without expression. Grabbing a clip from her bag, she loaded her gun and everyone watched in fascination.  
  
"What are those?" Boromir asked. Everyone crowded around her and watched as she loaded it and grabbed her other gun, loading it as well.  
  
"They're called guns. Weapons that cause more destruction than any weapon you have here. Never use them, they kill off more than just your enemies," she said, putting them in their holsters on her gear belt. Grabbing her dagger (which was still stuck in the tree), she resheathed it and walked back to the camp.  
  
"How far is it to Moria or Khazàd-Dùm?' she asked. Gimli looked at her with awe.  
  
"You know of Moria?" he asked, rushing forward. Rachel looked at him with profound intelligence.  
  
"Of course I do. Tolkein is one of the only things I read."  
  
With that last comment, they headed toward Moria, for the group had already failed to cross over the Pass at Caradhras. 


	4. Disturbed Water

Time: Disturbed Water  
  
Disclaimer: I'm cheap…their not mine…DAMNIT!  
  
  
  
  
  
Arriving at Moria two days later, the group was well acquainted with the exception of Rachel. Nobody could ever get her to say many words. Holly got her to smile once. She remembered when Rachel was in combat. She was always on watch; never loosing a step. Holly supposed that Rachel saw this as another mission. She just hoped that Rachel didn't think that if something happens to the group it's her fault. She was big on guilt.  
  
"The walls of Moria!" Gimli cried out. Holly nearly fell backwards and Rachel, along with Legolas, glanced, but kept walking after Gandalf who had stopped briefly. Rachel watched her friend barely keep her balance as she stared at the walls and felt a twinge of guilt. Holly was happy and free of that horrible feeling. Guilt. Rachel knew her friend was sad about having to leave the service, but at least she was leaving on a clear conscience. Rachel hated to see Holly be dragged into something like this. If only she had told Holly that they should sleep inside despite the warm weather...  
  
"Rachel?" Frodo called up to her. She looked down at the hobbit and then forward. She had stopped while thinking. Everyone else was looking back at her. Walking forward, she felt in her pack for her sunglasses. Holly had hers on already.  
  
"What do you think's wrong with her?" Pippin whispered to Merry. He shrugged his shoulders and then both stared at Holly who did the same.  
  
"If she wants you to know, she'll tell you herself. Last time I told someone, I got a scar on my arm," she told them, shaking her head. Lifting up her sleeve, Holly showed them her scar. It was nearly six inches long.  
  
"I wouldn't want to make her mad!" Pippin yelled. Holly tilted her head slightly and sighed miserably.  
  
"Well, she wasn't always like that and I don't blame her for what the job did to her. I mean, Bryan's death was bad enough, but when Jake an--"  
  
Merry and Pippin looked at her and smiled slyly. She smacked them both on the head and sighed.  
  
"I shouldn't have said that," she scolded herself, hitting her head with her fist repeatedly.  
  
"We won't push the subject," Merry informed her. The three of them nodded at each other and watched as Gandalf failed miserably to open the gate to Moria. Holly kicked herself mentally for not paying closer attention to Tolkein's books. A moment passed by as she thought and Pippin leaned toward her.  
  
"Who's Bryan and Jake?" he asked. Holly stared at him and Merry punched him in the side.  
  
"What?" Pip yelled. Merry shook his head and both hobbits stood, throwing pebbles into the murky water. Aragorn ran over and stopped them almost immediately, warning them against making waves.  
  
"It's a riddle! Speak friend and enter!" Frodo exclaimed some time later. With the help of Gandalf, the young hobbit opened the Gates to Moria. Holly ran up to Rachel, who the entire time had watched the water, pacing. She touched her shoulder and felt the younger tense up.  
  
"Hey! Even I remember what happens next! Aren't you going to say something?" Holly yelled desperately. Rachel spun around and looked her friend square in the eyes.  
  
"Our job is to help them to and through Mordor...not get in the way of certain events," Rachel reminded her. Holly knew all too well what the "briefing" was. Sighing heavily, she followed everyone through the doors, closing her eyes when Gandalf "turned on" his staff.  
  
"Now, Master Elf! You will enjoy the hospitality of the Dwarves!" Gimli began. "Mult Beal! Roaring fires! Red meat off the bone!" He went on about his brother's home and as more light was shed on the great hall, many gasped in horror. Rachel set her pack on the ground, in a corner, and grabbed a few important supplies, making sure her flashlight had batteries.  
  
"This isn't a mine. It's a tomb!" Boromir cried. The floors were littered with dwarven skeletons. Most raised their weapons and Rachel took Glamdring from Gandalf's grasp, stuck her flashlight in a cargo pocket on her dark green/black, GI camouflage pants, and stuck a small switch-blade in the side of her black army boot.  
  
"Orcs!" Legolas cried with disdain. They backed toward the entrance.  
  
"We should not have come here! We will make for the Gap of Rohan!" Boromir instructed. Rachel walked toward the entrance with Holly close behind, also carrying a switchblade of her own. Rachel held out Glamdring and knelt about a foot away from the hobbits, watching Frodo very closely.  
  
"Ah!" Frodo cried as something wrapped around his leg. As if she had known it would happen, Rachel slashed at the tentacle attacking him and stood, ducked, and rolled to the side as more tentacles flew at the group. Holly, who had been standing right behind her ex-commander, threw her switchblade, doing some damage to the huge octopus-like creature. Aragorn and Boromir rushed forward trying to save the now dangling Frodo. Rachel rushed with them, but unlike them, she wanted to kill the son-of-a-bitch. Aragorn and Boromir wanted to save Frodo. Legolas let a few arrows fly.  
  
"Die you bastard!" Rachel cried, jumping onto it's face. She glanced back and saw Boromir carry Frodo off, throwing Holly his sword as Aragorn joined them at the bank. Holly ran to Rachel's side. Deciding that swords wouldn't do enough damage fast enough, Rachel pulled out her gun and handed Glamdring to Holly who stared at her dumbstruck.  
  
"Go!" she yelled at Holly.  
  
"No!"  
  
"That's an order, lieutenant!"  
  
"God damn you!" Holly yelled, jumping off the creature and telling everyone to get into the mines. Rachel stood (she was holding onto the squid for support) and shot it square in the forehead six times. It began to collapse, but so did the Gates of Moria. Rachel dashed toward the mines. She barely jumped in before the rocks began fall, but she didn't jump far enough. Crawling, she saw Holly slide forward, jumping stones, trying to reach her friend.  
  
"You're an idiot, Holly!" Rachel yelled over the falling stones. Holly, who was dragging her half-crawling-half-running friend to safety, shrugged.  
  
"No different than dodging grenades!" was her response. When they reached safety, they both had bumps, bruises, and a few nasty scratches and were definitely out of breath.  
  
"You two are either the most insane beings I've ever met or the smartest! Bless you both!" Gandalf said to the girls.  
  
"Well, we're certainly not the smartest," Rachel said, reaching in her pocket. She prayed silently as she checked her flashlight and, sure enough, it worked.  
  
"What is that?" Sam asked, huddled in a corner with the rest of his friends. Rachel searched for and found her pack and threw her gun inside, putting the safety lock on it first.  
  
"A flashlight. It's like a fake sun," she tried to explain. They started moving as Gandalf warned them against the "deep places of the world."  
  
"Magic?" Frodo asked, running to catch up with Holly and Rachel who were climbing a set of stairs two at a time. Holly and Rachel looked at him and replied at the same time.  
  
"Nope," they said, then looked at each other. Holly smiled and Rachel looked back at Frodo.  
  
"Only electricity and plastic," she said discretely. 


	5. Memories: Refound and Forgotten

Time: memories refound and forgotten  
  
  
  
The group continued for nearly three days; stepping over decaying bodies; fearing every sound they made; watching closely for movement in the dark. Almost never stopping except to eat and rest briefly, the group made exceptional progress. Pippin became fascinated with Rachel while Holly intrigued Merry. The Fellowship was mystified by the two women who seemed so adapted to fighting. They were so young, but so experienced in battle and nearly fearless. Holly seemed to be a child; innocent in the ways of war, yet so powerful and so loyal to friendship. She had a very cheerful approach to everything, but seemed, in the midst of it all, to be sad and fearful. Rachel was emotionless; a sure sign of war. There was an air of great wisdom and strength to her character, which demanded respect. She was a being who was always alert, always having something to rejoice about, always having something to grieve about.  
  
"Almost elvish," Aragorn whispered to himself. Legolas looked at him, knowing what the ranger was thinking. He had thought so too.  
  
They stopped at a fork in the passageways. Frodo stepped forward, looking at Gandalf, their leader.  
  
"What's the matter, Gandalf?" he asked. The wizard stood there, staring the paths he could choose.  
  
"I have no memory of this place."  
  
Rachel and Holly sat on the ground and flung their packs to the side. Pippin and Merry sat beside them and Frodo and Sam sat opposite them. Legolas stood. Aragorn and Boromir, along with Gimli, sat on stones outlining the staircase they had just climbed. Gandalf, mumbling to himself, sat in front of the fork he couldn't remember. Frodo stood and sat beside the wizard, speaking to him softly.  
  
"So what's your home like?" Pippin asked in a whisper. Holly began explaining it as "the Shire only not as green." Rachel sighed and grabbed her sketchbook and pencil, drawing their home. She showed them the white farmhouse surrounded by oak trees and the little red barn on the other side of the drive. She drew the cows in the pastures and the hills and the lake they had fallen asleep beside. She even sketched her real home for them. She stayed with Holly during the summers and owned her parents' old home in town. It was an enormous modern, brown home with three slanted roofs, a carport, two porches, two decks, four sunroofs, and eighty-three windows in all. There was an enormous library with a sliding ladder and a loft. There were three bathrooms, four bedrooms, a living room, a family, a dining room, a kitchen, and a balcony. The house was beautiful and Rachel loved describing it.  
  
"You two must be royalty to live in such beautiful homes," inquired Aragorn. Rachel and Holly looked at him with strange flattery.  
  
"Thanks, but no. I mean, Rachel is, but I'm not. Wealthy middle class," Holly explained. Rachel sighed and gave her friend an evil glare.  
  
"Are you now?" Boromir said suspiciously. Rachel nodded.  
  
"My family has a castle in a country called Wales. If I lived there, I'd be basically in command of my own small kingdom. Nothing more than that, really," she said, making excuses for herself.  
  
"I'm honored, my lady," Aragorn said, bowing slightly. Rachel growled at him.  
  
"Don't ever call me that again. I hate it," she warned. The ranger held up his hands in surrender.  
  
"Ah! This way!" Gandalf said happily. Everyone stood and Frodo laughed slightly.  
  
"You've remembered!"  
  
"No. The air down there doesn't smell so foul! When in doubt, just follow your nose!" he said, leading them on. 


	6. Echoes

Time: Echoes  
  
Disclaimer: Nothing to do with LOTR is mine…but Holly and Rae are.  
  
  
  
They group walked down the small path, speaking little unless necessary. Already, Rachel had to replace the batteries in her flashlight twice and they were beginning to flicker once again. Hitting it forcefully, she sighed.  
  
"Damnit," she whispered. She threw the dead batteries into her pocket and grabbed new ones from her pack with some difficulty, not able to shut it again.  
  
"Will you shut that?" she said to Legolas who was trailing a little bit behind her. They were the last in the line because Rachel had slowed down to get her flashlight working again. He reached towards her back and gently closed the zipper on her pack. She thanked him and ran forward so they wouldn't loose the rest of the Fellowship and Holly.  
  
They didn't have to go far because everyone was still in front of them. Gandalf lifted his staff and illuminated the great hall in front of them. Even Rachel took a step backwards at the site.  
  
"Their Great Halls of Stone," Gandalf whispered to them. Gimli seemed to be most mystified. Actually, Holly and Gimli were tied in the glaze of their eyes. Holly actually fell backwards and into Boromir who caught her.  
  
"Thanks," she whispered, not bothering to look back at her catcher. Boromir nodded as they walked forward cautiously. A light to the right caught Gimli's eye and he yelled.  
  
"Gimli!" Gandalf snapped as the dwarf ran towards the open door. Everyone followed suit and watched as Gimli grieved over his cousin's grave.  
  
"We must go on. We cannot linger!" Legolas said to Aragorn who only nodded in response. Holly approached Gimli and placed a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Here lies Barlin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria," Holly read aloud from the stone coffin. Most of the Fellowship stared at her and she had a double-take moment.  
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
"We thought you were from another world!" Aragorn yelled. Rachel stepped forward as the men ganged up on Holly.  
  
"We are. Holly has learned Dwarven through the books of Tolkein and I've learned Elvish. They weren't that hard to figure out and learn," she stated. Legolas stepped forward with Aragorn as Gandalf looked through a record book in a skeleton's hand.  
  
"Not difficult? It takes years to master Elvish!" Aragorn said angrily. Rachel told him to calm down in Elvish and he and Legolas backed off immediately.  
  
"Holly, not including Dwarven, is fluent in four languages and I, without Elvish, am fluent in six. I've been learning new dialects since I was two so excuse me for finding any language you set for me to be simple," she snapped. Holly nodded her head from behind Rachel and, without looking, caught the gun she threw at her face and the extra clip that followed.  
  
"I thought you knew five languages!" Holly said to Rachel. She shook her head and walked towards Gandalf with Holly close behind.  
  
"I had to learn Arabic six months after you left. Remember that vacation?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I had to lead the corps into enemy territory underground to capture Osama Bin Laden (A/N: Obviously this isn't true and it's about two years in the future.). I would have told you, honest!" Rachel explained, a smile on her face. Holly nodded and teased her quietly, but their smiles were soon wiped clean.  
  
"They are coming," Gandalf finished. Everyone was as silent as possible and Pippin, from fear, backed up and to the edge of a well. Touching an arrow, he sent a bucket and an armored dwarf skeleton with chains down the well, clanking, clattering, and banging all the way to the dwarves' deepest mines. All were deathly still and barely breathed, listening intently. Rachel and Holly knew what came next, they loaded their guns and Rachel made sure her daggers were reachable. Holly got out her switchblade, then turned to Rachel.  
  
"Can I borrow yours?" she asked loudly. Rachel nodded, grabbed her small knife, and threw it at her friend. The Fellowship stared at them in terror. Rachel looked at them with concern.  
  
"We're going into action! Live fire! Gear up!" she yelled as if it were plain as day. They stared at her and Holly sighed.  
  
"Get your weapons ready! We're gonna fight!" she yelled as drums began to beat and goblin cries could be heard coming at them. Boromir ran to the door and was nearly skewered by an arrow.  
  
"They have a cave troll," he said irritably. Aragorn and Legolas barred the door and returned to the coffin, holding their arrows. Rachel and Holly knelt in front of them, below their bows. Gimli yelled in anger and jumped atop his cousin's tomb.  
  
"Let them come! There is one Morian Warrior who still draws breath!" he yelled holding out his battle-axe. Goblins began to beat down the door and Legolas let the first arrow fly.  
  
Soon they were trampling down the door and even Legolas wasn't fast enough to shoot at them. Rachel and Holly sat patiently as the hideous creatures ran at them.  
  
"Rachel!"  
  
"Wait."  
  
"Rachel!" Holly yelled, itching to shoot the hell out of their opponents. Rachel aimed and waited until they were nearly on top of the ex- Marines.  
  
"Fire and Hold!" she yelled. Holly shot one blast and it shot straight through three goblins. Rachel did the same. Holly wasn't expecting as much force and was nearly shocked by the backfire of her friend's guns. Rachel laughed, waiting for the next batch of critters (they were also stunned).  
  
"What make are these?" Holly yelled in surprise. Rachel smiled.  
  
"New! They're protocol now! They can shoot through concrete blocks! Fire and Hold!" she yelled back. Holly was ready and killed four goblins in one shot yet again. A goblin came at Holly from the side, but she saw him. Rachel covered her comrade and herself, which meant taking the gun from Holly, and shooting at her next six targets (three for each gun). Shifting sideways, Holly threw a switchblade at the goblin on her close right and hit him in the forehead with her left hand.  
  
"That was my bad hand! Not too shabby!" Holly congratulated herself. Rachel laughed again and stood up. She threw the guns back into her pack and grabbed a broad sword for Holly.  
  
"Yo, Firebird! Catch!" Rachel yelled. Holly spun and caught the sword effortlessly.  
  
"Thanks, Scales!" she yelled back. Just as Rachel armed herself with her two daggers, the cave troll barged in, nearly crushing one of the hobbits. Gimli chopped at its stomach with his axe, but only helped it rid itself of a few goblins. The grizzly troll saw Holly and Aragorn side-by- side beheading goblins left and right. Neither noticed it raise its mace, but Rachel did.  
  
"Hey, Blondie! Duck!" Rachel yelled at Holly. Her friend found the word "blonde" or "Blondie" to be very offensive because she was a genius. She was an expert in espionage and nobody called her blonde.  
  
"I'll kick your ass!" she yelled, pulling Aragorn to the floor. Rachel threw a dagger at the troll's arm and it stepped back in shock. Its mace still swung down, but instead of slicing Holly and Aragorn in half, it only grazed Holly's shoulder.  
  
"Ouch!" she yelled, standing up. She looked at her torn shirt and bleeding slice and then looking at her hair, which was wet with blood on the tips.  
  
"Son of a bitch!" she yelled, getting really mad. Rachel couldn't really fight without her other dagger, so she used what she remembered from Kung Fu the year before. She had to go through an extensive course with the corps before they could proceed with a mission in Nagasaki, Japan.  
  
"Are you al right?" Aragorn yelled at Holly. She nodded and watched as Legolas climbed on the troll back and shot and arrow in the back of its neck, grabbing Rachel's other dagger as he jumped down.  
  
"Woohoo! Way to go, Leggo!" Holly cheered. She ducked as a goblin swung a sword over her head and hacked its legs off.  
  
"Rachel!" Legolas yelled. Rachel turned and caught the dagger the elf threw to her. as she did so, a goblin came behind her. Holly glanced at it before she realized anything. The loss of blood was getting to her.  
  
"Look behind you!" she yelled, terrified. As Rachel turned, the goblin sliced her side deeply. Rachel spun around and fell to the floor. Holly ran to her and got out Rachel's switchblade, looking the goblin straight in the face.  
  
"Die, bitch!" she yelled, throwing the blade into its throat. Rachel sat up and looked at Holly and smiled. "You good?"  
  
"SNAFU," Rachel replied (Situation Normal: All fucked up). Holly nodded and ran back to the fight. Rachel stood up and watched Aragorn get knocked against a pillar by the cave troll. Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin huddled in a corner.  
  
"Aragorn!" Frodo cried. The other three hobbits ran toward Legolas and Boromir while Frodo went to Aragorn's side. The ranger was out cold. The troll grabbed at the makeshift spear Aragorn had pierced him with and tried to shishkabob Frodo, finally pinning him to the wall. 


	7. Into Shadow

Time: Into Shadow  
  
  
  
"Frodo!" Aragorn and the hobbits cried as he fell to the floor. The Fellowship fought with new ferocity. Rachel crawled to her pack and grabbed her GI mission jacket, tying it tightly around her waist to try and stop the bleeding on her side. Realizing that she wouldn't be able to do very much more unless she wanted to bleed to death, Rachel grabbed an axe and threw it at the troll. It hit its shoulder and Holly caught on. She and Gimli grabbed battle-axes and sent them flying at the troll. They stopped when the hobbits attacked it. Merry stabbed it in the back of the neck and, as it reared its head back, Legolas out an arrow in its throat. Rachel grabbed a gun and shot it in the forehead, making it fall with a boom.  
  
"He's alive!" Sam yelled shortly after. Frodo was gasping for breath and feeling his stomach. Everyone rushed forward.  
  
"I believe there is more to this hobbit than meets the eye," commented Gandalf. Frodo opened his shirt and showed his friends the shining myhtril chain-mail underneath  
  
"To the bridge of Khaz'd-Dum! Hurry!" Gandalf cried. Everyone followed the wizard as goblins covered the walls and closed in on the warriors. Rachel and Holly felt blood seep down from their wounds, but didn't say a thing. It may make them dizzy, but that wouldn't stop either of them. They were Scorpions! They didn't die until the mission was over and if they did they haunted their opponents to insanity. It was as simple as that.  
  
The goblins circled the group, teasing and probing at them. Suddenly, a thunder came from the halls. More thunders came and the goblins scurried, leaving the Fellowship unharmed. Rachel and Holly nearly fell from the rumbling and helped support each other.  
  
"What new treachery is this?" Boromir asked. Gandalf watched a passage not far from them burn with fire. His face was sullen and the others watched after him.  
  
"A Balrog. A creature of the ancient world. This foe is beyond any of you! Run!" he shouted, leading them to a smaller corridor. The moved as fast as they could, dodging a few falling rocks here and there.  
  
As they ran, fire lined the walls behind them and an enormous, black, horned demon surfaced from a gap in the stone floor. They dashed forward faster than ever. Boromir was in front of his friends and nearly fell over a collapsed staircase. Legolas jumped forward and pulled Boromir back, panting for breath.  
  
"Aragorn! Get them to the Bridge of Khazˆd-D^um! Go!" Gandalf said, trailing after the Fellowship as they ran for a narrow bridge to their left. Rachel and Legolas took a small shortcut, jumping off one staircase to another. A huge gap in the stair stopped everyone momentarily. Legolas and Rachel jumped ahead. When Holly got to the edge, she stiffened. Heights were not something she enjoyed.  
  
"Holly! Jump!" Rachel yelled, holding out her hands. Holly gasped for breath and knew this was the only way out of Moria, so she leaped. Just short of the stairs, Rachel caught her friend by the arms as she swung helplessly, about to fall into Shadow.  
  
"Don't let go!" Holly sobbed. She struggled to swing her legs up, but couldn't. Rachel was on her stomach and the rock stairs beneath her poked and pried at her already freely bleeding side. Groaning from the pain, Rachel sighed.  
  
"Stop moving! Let me pull you up!" she yelled. Holly, a tear streaming down her face, nodded and dangled, swaying slightly. Rachel pulled her up, slowly and steadily, with help from Legolas. Her side brushed up against his and blood smeared all over his outer-tunic, but he didn't notice. Pulling Holly over the edge, Legolas stood up again and beckoned to Gandalf. He jumped and Boromir proceeded to throw Sam, Pippin, and Merry over the gap. Rachel caught Pippin as he almost toppled over the side.  
  
"Thanks!" he yelled at her. Boromir was about to throw Gimli when he raised his hand. Goblins began to shoot arrows at the Fellowship and their two female comrades. Legolas shot arrows back with remarkable precision.  
  
"Nobody tosses a dwarf!" was his pride remark. Gimli jumped and nearly fell backwards. Legolas grabbed onto his beard and the dwarf let out a cry of pain.  
  
"Not the beard!" he yelled. Aragorn and Frodo were still on the other side of the staircase when a boulder fell behind them and nearly destroyed their segment of stone. It swayed unsteadily and Legolas stood at the edge, waiting for them to jump when they could.  
  
"Lean forward!" Aragorn yelled at Frodo. They did and the staircase fell toward the safe ledge. Frodo and Aragorn stumbled forward at impact and Legolas caught them. Gandalf urged everyone forward.  
  
"Rachel!" Holly yelled, noticing her friend still sitting on the staircase. She ran back and helped her up and sped her along after the others as another boulder decimated the entire stairway.  
  
"I owe you!" Rachel gasped as they ran after everyone else. Holly took a sharp breath. The cut on her shoulder was being a pain in the ass.  
  
"No, you don't! You've saved my life an ass-load of times! I should have died eight close encounters ago!" Holly retorted. They passed Gandalf and rushed across the bridge. Waiting on the other side with the others, Holly and Rachel collapsed on the ground in a bloody heap, though no one really noticed. They were staring at Gandalf on the bridge. He had stopped midway across.  
  
"Gandalf!" Aragorn yelled. The wizard paid no attention as the Balrog stepped onto the bridge. Gandalf's staff glowed bright and he showed his true power. He sent the demon back to the Shadow, but wasn't spared himself. As the bridge collapsed, Frodo ran forward, only to be caught by Boromir. Pippin was restrained by Rachel; Merry by Holly; and Sam and Gimli by Legolas. Arrows from the goblins began to fly once again and the group made for the light of the sun. 


	8. Damsels In Distress

Time: Damsels in Distress  
  
Disclaimer: I only own Rae and Holly, everything else is Tolkien's.  
  
  
  
The hobbits collapsed outside of the mines in tears. Holly and Rachel fell in another bloody heap. Rachel had lost her only bandage, her jacket, on  
  
the run from Moria. She knew better than to grieve, but noticed Holly's eyes tear up and then remembered that Holly had never gotten past the  
  
first book in the trilogy. Rachel lifted her hand to her face and just before she brushed some hair from her face, she saw blood on her palm.  
  
Looking at Holly's shoulder, she knew why.  
  
"Turn around, Holly. Your hurt pretty bad," Rachel said. Holly turned her shoulder and Rachel lifted her shirt over her head. Boromir and Aragorn watched Rachel mend the wound with a piece of clean cloth from her pack. Holly turned around and stared at Rachel's bloody hands. Holly put her shirt back on and shrugged at the gawking men. They immediately turned their heads and blushed a bright red.  
  
"All that blood can't be from me, Rachel."  
  
"Some of it's orc blood," Rachel lied. Orc blood was black, but Holly wouldn't have known that. It was from her wound, which she was pressing with as much force as she possibly could. It hurt like hell, but when had that ever stopped her? The only thing she was afraid of...no...Petrified of...were dogs. Coyotes, wolves, anything in the canine family that stood above her shinbone. When she was in her teens, a pack of coyotes and wild dogs decided she was perfect for their dinner and she never liked them since. If a coyote came on the property she happened to be standing on, she shot it. Simple as that.  
  
"Whatever. Look, we'd better move it or else," she told Aragorn. He agreed and everyone helped get the hobbits off the ground. Rachel didn't have the strength to pick up a hobbit and saw Frodo walking away as the perfect excuse not to try. She strolled toward him.  
  
"Frodo, you're going the wrong way," she said gently. He looked up at her, tears trickling down his cheeks and nodded. When he turned to join the others, he looked at her side.  
  
"You‚are worse off than any of us!" he yelled. Rachel didn't look at him straight away, but waited a moment.  
  
"That doesn't mean I'm stopping. I may be bleeding to death, but what good is an injured, dead, or crippled soldier other than extra luggage?" she asked bitterly. Frodo walked toward the others with Rachel not far behind. Pippin and Merry walked beside her with Frodo not far in the lead. Aragorn ran ahead, full of energy. Boromir was helping Holly because she was getting dizzy from the loss of blood. Rachel could feel her side ripping open as she pushed onward and exhaustion was about to overtake her.  
  
"What's that?" Pippin asked, pointing at Rachel‚'s side. She was struggling to keep up with the others as they ran toward the cover of the wood. Merry knocked him in the head.  
  
"She's bleeding, Pip."  
  
Merry and Pippin contemplated what that meant for a moment and then Pippin turned to ask Rachel a question as they approached the forest. Rachel was no where in sight.  
  
"Rae!" Pippin yelled, running back to her. Merry stopped and turned around, running to help Pippin.  
  
"Aragorn!" he yelled back. The ranger stopped and watched them, not understanding until he didn't see Rachel. Boromir, Gimli, and Holly watched the commotion, not quite understanding the problem. All the hobbits, Legolas, and Aragorn were searching the tall grass quickly.  
  
"Rae! Where are you!"  
  
"Rachel!"  
  
"Rachel! Can you hear us?"  
  
Everyone was calling for her, but no one could find her, until...  
  
"Blood!" Legolas cried out. A trail of it was leading toward the forest.  
  
"That is a lot of blood. Follow it! She's close!" Aragorn yelled, realizing what had happened. They ran along the path and Pippin, who was running in front of everyone else, tripped over something in the grass.  
  
"Rachel!" he yelled, standing up. Aragorn looked at her with concern and Legolas ran to them, worried eyes searching the puddle of blood slowly growing around the woman's body.  
  
"How does she do it?" Aragorn pondered as Legolas picked her up, the wound away from him.  
  
"Look! Your shirt, Legolas!" Merry shouted. The elf looked at his side and saw the tunic smeared on one side with dried blood.  
  
"How long has she been bleeding?" Sam asked, panting for breath. Legolas looked at Aragorn and he ran forward at top speed.  
  
"We must get her to Lothlorien! She has been bleeding for nearly four hours!" he yelled back. Everyone sprinted to the woods and kept their weapons drawn for fear of being attacked.  
  
"Rachel! Will she be okay? Tell me she'll be okay!" Holly yelled. She began to hyperventilate as they walked through the wood. She fell to the floor and began rocking back and forth. Merry rushed over and tried to calm her down, which worked rather well.  
  
"We must keep moving, Holly! She‚Äôll live, but only if we reach Lady Galadriel!" Aragorn shouted in agitation. Holly was balling now. Those weren't the words she wanted to hear. Legolas watched as the woman in his hands began to struggle.  
  
"Nnnn," Rachel mumbled as her eyes opened. She looked up at Legolas and, out of alarm, rolled out of his hands clumsily.  
  
‚"What the hell is wrong with Holly?" she asked, falling over. Legolas knelt beside her and picked her up again.  
  
"I feel like such a damsel right now," Rachel sighed, kicking herself mentally for deciding to take a "nap." Holly ran over to them and stared at Rachel with happiness and then anger.  
  
"I'm so glad you‚are okay!"  
  
"I‚am not okay."  
  
"Don't do that ever again!"  
  
"Like this is the first time?"  
  
"I mean it!"  
  
"You know I'll do it again."  
  
Rachel and Holly fought like this for a few moments and Legolas put Rachel on the ground gently. She barely even noticed, but when the elven warriors from Lorien surrounded the party, she noticed. She and Holly grabbed their knives of various assortments and watched the archers. One-stepped forward.  
  
"The women shout so loud we could have shot them in the dark," he said with a stuck-up attitude. Rachel was pissed.  
  
"Bite me jerk!" Holly retorted to the elf.  
  
"Just try it," Rachel said, wincing. More blood was seeping down her leg and everything was going dark again. She squinted her eyes and watched the elf laugh.  
  
"I would pierce your heart with my arrow!"  
  
"And if you did, I would rip out the arrow, pin you to a tree, behead you and put your head on a pike as a warning for the rest of your men to see," Rachel said. Holly laughed, but she was the only one amused by it. That was the pep talk she gave her soldiers; though not in the original text.  
  
"Please! Haldir of Lorien! We need your assistance! As you can see, these women are injured!" Aragorn yelled in Elvish. Haldir stared at him with amusement but was cut short by something unseen.  
  
"Come...she is waiting."  
  
Rachel began to fall and Legolas, with his quick reflexes, grabbed her up before she could fall to the ground. The group made their way after Haldir and his warriors toward the golden city of Lorien. 


	9. A Worried Friend

Disclaimer: I hold no claims to the original LOTR cast (Holly and Rachel are mine)  
  
A/N: No flames  
  
Time: A Worried Friend  
  
Holly paced worriedly out side of Rachel's room. Lady Galadriel had told them to rest, but none of them could. Rachel was...well...basically dead when they were acquainted with the Lady of the Wood. Holly was stitched up by Haldir not much later and Legolas carried Rachel off in a different direction following Galadriel.  
  
"This can't be good! Why hasn't she woken up yet?" Holly asked Aragorn frantically as he approached her. The ranger sighed with exhaustion. He had been awake for nearly forty eight hours, watching over Holly to make sure she didn't do anything drastic to help her friend.  
  
"Rachel will be fine! You must rest, Holly!" Aragorn yelled quietly. He didn't want to disturb the unconscious woman just a closed door away from them. Holly was about to give up when Haldir opened Rachel's door and walked out. Holly was given renewed strength to stay awake.  
  
"She will awake soon. Much faster than we had hoped, I'm privileged to say," he said with a small smile on his face. Holly rushed past him and ran through the door with both men behind her staring after her in shock.  
  
"Rachel!" she yelled running to the bed. Holly nearly gasped at the wounds Rachel had concealed. Cuts and scrapes all over her body; some still bleeding through the white clothing the Lorien elves had been nice enough to give her.  
  
"Rachel will be al right, Holly. You should let your heart rest now. You've been very exhausted the past few days," a sweet, soft voice said from behind the girl. Holly turned to see Galadriel smiling warmly.  
  
"But I wanna be here when she wakes up!" Holly whimpered. The elven lady glided forward and nodded at Holly.  
  
"Get some sleep. I'll have Haldir awake you when Rachel opens her eyes." Holly yawned and nodded, wondering why she was so tired all of a sudden. 


	10. Mixed Blood

Disclaimer: I hold no claims to the original LOTR cast (Holly and Rachel are mine)  
  
A/N: No flames  
  
  
  
Time: Mixed Blood  
  
  
  
Legolas stood in the corner of Rachel's room, looking at the stars above his head. He hadn't even moved when Holly rushed through the door.  
  
"You should rest as well, Legolas. Rachel will awake soon," Galadriel repeated. Legolas' ear twitched slightly. He didn't like when people lied.  
  
"She wasn't breathing," he said simply. Lady Galadriel smiled faintly and spoke to the elf in his mind.  
  
"I promise she'll awake. Leave us and Ill tend to her wounds."  
  
Legolas stared at the elf, but left out of respect, although he was barely able to stand from worry. He had known Rachel for no more than month and already, his heart ached when she wasn't near him, but his soul soared when she smiled, which was rare. He paced in front of the door and Aragorn walked to him.  
  
"What is wrong, my friend?" he asked. Legolas was normally very composed, but he seemed a nervous wreck.  
  
Ã'I fear for Rachel's life, if there is stills a life to save. The Lady of the Wood herself is caring for her," Legolas explained. Aragorn nodded in concern and waited patiently with his elven friend by the door.  
  
"Ambar elle elvea. Eruseen. Esse Aini elda! Elentari!" Galadriel yelled, slicing her arm with a small dagger she carried wherever she went. Gasping for breath, for the spell she had performed was nearly unheard of, but not evil, she cut the side of Rachel's arm and pushed their blood together. A searing pain overtook both of them, in the pulling away from death and in the reality of life. Both, although Rachel was still unconscious but very much alive now, were exhausted. Galadriel prayed for the woman's safety for a few moments as she regained her strength and soon left the room as sunset crept upon her.  
  
Legolas and Aragorn, along with the rest of the Fellowship and Holly, who decided to wait with them, leaped to their feet or were jerked awake.  
  
"Is she al right?" Legolas asked desperately. Galadriel smiled, peering into the elf's mind, seeing why he was so distraught when even he did not yet realize.  
  
"She will be fine, but it will be many hours before she..."  
  
Galadriel stopped in the middle of her sentence as Rachel stumbled out of her room, yawning and without any clue as to the ten people staring at her. Without saying a word, Rachel grabbed her bag and realized that her bag didn't have Holly's brush in it.  
  
"God damnit." she mumbled, dragging herself to Holly's bag. She reached in and snatched up the brush, walking back to her room, grumbling. Nobody moved.  
  
"Well...That was awkward!" Merry said. Holly just stared after her friend and then laughed.  
  
"She never has been one for rest!" Holly giggled, completely light-hearted now and not a stitch worried about Rachel. Legolas wasn't listening to the buzz of cheery conversation around him. He ran into Rachel's room and saw her sitting on the bed. His breath caught in his throat.  
  
"Yes?" Rachel said, fully aware of Legolas standing before her. She took her hair down, which had been in a braid for nearly a month without washing (she thought survival was more important than clean hair) and began to brush it, realizing that it was in perfect health with perfect shine and absolutely no dirt or oil in it like it should have had. "That's odd," she pondered, but slowly shook it off, deciding that Galadriel had done something to it.  
  
Legolas watched her in fascination. Rachel's hair, curled from the braid she had been with for so long, fell, sunset blonde, to her legs. Legolas never knew her hair was so long and beautiful and his heart skipped, watching her brush it softly.  
  
"I just...wanted to know that your wounds were healing," he stuttered clumsily. He was extremely out of character and very uncomfortable.  
  
"I'm fine! Look! Not a wound on my body," she said happily, lifting her shirt slightly to show him where her gash had been. She figured she had been asleep for a long time: a week maybe. Legolas gulped and turn a very slight shade of pink that Rachel saw clear as day in the failing sunlight. For some reason, she could hear his heartbeat, which was going on the fritz, but decided it was just the medicine the elves must have given her. Resuming her brushing, Rachel realized it was the move she used to lure Jake in...Bad thoughts, but good memories. Noticing what she was doing, she  
  
put the brush down and started rooting through Holly's bag. The girl always had a mint or two lying around...wait a sec.  
  
"Where are my regular clothes?" she asked, a little less happy now. Legolas remembered when the elves of Lorien tossed her old clothes away, for they were bloody and torn and of no use, and dressed her in a white night gown. Rachel realized it too. She became very uncomfortable (it had been nearly ten years since she wore a dress) and began fidgeting.  
  
"They were useless," Legolas replied.  
  
"But they were my clothes! Ooh! Now that pisses me off! Can't they just wash them and give them back to me?" she roared. Rachel stopped, took a long breath, smiled, and walked back to her bed. She didn't want to draw a crowd.  
  
"I'll be sure to tell Lady Galadriel that," said a voice from the door. Haldir walked in and Rachel would have shot him if she had her guns with her. That insult he laid on her in the forest was still fresh in her mind and if he hadn't helped her out, he would be dead.  
  
"What did you do with my clothes?" Rachel asked with a twinge of anger. Haldir didn't pay attention to her, but instead told Legolas to rest with the others in Elvish.  
  
"The Lady would like to speak with you in her chambers. Come with me," Haldir said bitterly. He obviously didn't like Rachel much in return. The two of them climbed the staircases to the top of the largest tree in Lorien, where Galadriel was waiting.  
  
"Rachel, welcome!" she said, standing at the doorway. Rachel nodded her head and noticed that Haldir had already left them alone.  
  
"You wanted to speak with me?"  
  
"I've passed the test and will diminish. I've chosen you to have my immortality."  
  
Rachel didn't really register the second sentence, but realized that Frodo had already seen into the mirror and offered the Ring to Galadriel. When the next thing hit her, she stepped back and nearly fell down the stairs and would have if not for an amazing feat of balance.  
  
"You can't do that!" she retorted lamely. Galadriel actually laughed and Rachel noticed that she didn't seem as graceful or restless anymore. Rachel heard her heartbeat, a little bit faster than it was earlier, she was sure of, but didn't want to say a word.  
  
"But I can and only once. You are now an elf, Rachel and I will not be. How else would all your wounds be gone within two hours? You're my daughter now," Galadriel said warmly. Rachel wanted to scream at her, found that she couldn't.  
  
"Two hours? I would have had to sleep for nearly a week! Even elves don't heal that quickly!" Rachel retorted. Galadriel giggled and sat down on a small stool.  
  
"You were already dead when Legolas carried you here. Your life was renewed at the price of my own," Galadriel said, intimidation in her eyes. Rachel looked away.  
  
"How would I be any different or more important to the Fellowship if I were an elf? I don't deserve this!" she yelled guiltily. Now, if she failed, she'd have more grief than ever before and a lot more time to grieve.  
  
"Rachel, to the elves you will be considered Elentari. I've already sent messengers to the elven cities to alert them of you. They will help you if ever you need assistance."  
  
Rachel knew the name Elentari. It was the name of another high elf and Rachel didn't like being called something she wasn't and she definitely wasn't a "Star-Queen." She stepped forward to argue, but Galadriel stopped her and told her to follow her into another room. Rachel nearly fell over. In the room was a piano. She hadn't been able to play for over a month now and she was desperate to play.  
  
"I have not played for over two thousand years and it seems I have forgotten how to. Please, you may play this if you want to. I believe it soothes you?" she asked, obviously having been in Rachel's mind. Rachel nodded and sat down on the piano bench, fearing how out of tune the instrument would be, but then, playing the scale of C, realize it was in better shape than the one she had at home. Galadriel watched and nearly marveled as Rachel began to play Fur Elise. Sarabonde. Canon in D. Preludes. Moonlight Sonata. Anything she could think of she played. She even played a piece that she composed in high school. She played other unknown pieces such as Fantasia, Apoche, Mermen, Waltz in E Minor and so forth. She played for hours on end and knew that she had an audience below her because the piano rang throughout the wood, filling every gap. When she was finished and could only play Christmas songs, she played Christmas songs. Finally, she had nothing else to make music from. She stood up and turned to see Galadriel, Haldir, Celeborne, and few elven warriors standing behind them.  
  
"We've never heard such music!" Haldir shouted in awe. Rachel remembered something about the elves. They had created every song known to man with every rhythm and every melody. Rachel had obviously introduced them to some new rhythms and melodies...not to mention a few harmonies.  
  
"Amazing," said a warrior. He had nearly dropped his bow. Galadriel just smiled and stepped forward.  
  
"See? You create music we've never heard. You truly are and elf and now you are my daughter."  
  
"I realize that, but I don't deserve it. Why me instead of Holly or Aragorn? They would surely create wonderful elves," Rachel complained. Celeborne spoke this time.  
  
"It is because you would never have wished such a thing. You don't believe you should have the privilege of being an elf, which you are sadly mistaken. That is why you have become one," he told her wisely. Rachel, again, wanted to burst out, but decided against it.  
  
"You must sleep and be ready for your journey in the morning. I will give you clothes to wear," Haldir said. Rachel then remembered her original complaint.  
  
"Yeah, by the way. What did you do with my clothes?" Rachel asked, a little bit more mellow now.  
  
"We discarded them. They were of no use anymore," Haldir said. Rachel looked at him and growled, to everyone's surprise.  
  
"I wasn't asking you, Haldir, so if you don't mind I already know my way back down the stairs," Rachel said coldly. Haldir looked at his leaders and they told him to lead his elves back down to their stations.  
  
"I've discarded them," said Galadriel. Rachel nearly killed something. Her combat clothes and her dog tags were just about all she had left of her men. Remembering her tags, she reached frantically at her throat and sighed in relief when she found the steel still hanging around her neck.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I know they were precious to you, but they served no purpose. They were slashed and torn and doused in your blood," Celeborne explained. Rachel nodded and sighed heavily. Galadriel tilted her head sleepily and Celeborne watched.  
  
"Now, Rachel, I'm going to sleep for the first time. Please, if you know your way, return to your own rooms and I'll make sure to have clothes for you by morning," Galadriel said, nearly nodding off to sleep. She and Celeborne walked back to their bedchambers and before they closed the door, Galadriel said in a soft voice that Rachel could not hear, "Good night, Elentari." 


	11. Gifts of cloth and wood

Disclaimer: I hold no claims to the original LOTR cast (Holly and Rachel are mine)  
  
A/N: No flames  
  
  
  
Time: Gifts of Cloth and Wood  
  
  
  
When Rachel awoke the next morning, clothes, much like the ones Legolas wore, were folded neatly at the bottom of her bed. She stripped and put on the pants, green velvet; the undershirt, a light red-coral with elvish designs on the collar and sleeves; the outer-tunic, green velvet with a belt around the waist; the boots, brown velvet; the arm guards, brown leather with red designs along the edges; and a dagger cross-over shoulder strap, brown leather. A cloak was also hanging on a branch from a tree bending over the balcony. There was a small mirror on a nightstand beside her bed and Rachel looked at herself, amazed. The outfit showed off her muscular, but good-looking legs and her chest, which was emphasized by the belt around her waist. The outer-tunic, flared at the bottom by the belt, showed off her hips and the low-neck revealed her collar bone and slender neck. The color of the tunic brightened her already smoke-grey eyes, reddened her lips, and made her strawberry-blonde hair shine . Or was it just part of being an elf? Maybe. Or it could have been that Rachel never noticed things like that.  
  
Brushing her hair, still very wavy, Rachel got butterflies in her stomach. What would the guys think and what would Holly say? She imagined Holly would fall over, paralyzed and a few of the men would cough in surprise, their eyes the size of golf balls. She smiled.  
  
"Holy shit!" Rachel yelled. On a regular basis, she had her hair tucked behind her ears and when she went to do so, she found that her ears were pointed. She laughed. Never wanted to be an elf, eh? She liked the look.  
  
"Perhaps you should join the Fellowship now?" said a voice behind her. Rachel spun around and was face to face with Haldir. Growling low in her throat, Rachel turned away and began packing up Holly's bag. Haldir sighed and walked forward.  
  
"Do you mind?" Rachel asked irritably. Haldir smirked and cocked his head slightly to the side.  
  
"Not at all."  
  
"You're impossible."  
  
"And you're in the Lady's graces and blood. I could do no harm to you," the elf pointed out. Rachel snapped her head and looked at him, fire in her eyes.  
  
"What d'you want?" she asked in a lethal tone of voice. Haldir held out his hands and within them was a bow and quiver. Rachel dropped the bag she was about the fling onto her back and stared at the beautiful wood and metal laying before her.  
  
"They're yours. I gave Holly a thin sword and I am giving you a bow and quiver. Legolas has the arrows," Haldir said matter-of-factly. Rachel took the weapon graciously from the elf's hands and marveled at how light it was.  
  
"I can't take this! I haven't fired a shot in nearly half a year! I'll just ruin it!" Rachel exclaimed. Haldir laughed haughtily.  
  
"Excuses do not elude the Lady of the Wood! She has sent to me to give these to you! Although her powers dwindle, she has power enough to peer into your memories!"  
  
Rachel, unable to think of a come-back, sighed and took the magnificent objects, realizing she couldn't carry her pack anymore because the quiver and bow upon her back. When she was about to point that out, Haldir cut her off.  
  
"Pippin has volunteered to carry your pack. I suggest you leave now. The Fellowship and your ecstatic little friend have already dressed and are awaiting you by the boats m'Lady has provided for them," Haldir sighed, smiling almost warmly. Rachel refused to smile back and walked out of the room, feeling a little dizzy and disoriented. 


	12. A Feeling Never Felt

Disclaimer: I hold no claims to the original LOTR cast (Holly and Rachel are mine)  
  
A/N: No flames  
  
  
  
Time: A Feeling Never Felt  
  
  
  
Rachel made her way subconsciously to the river in the middle of Lorien. She was gawking at the bow and quiver she held in her hands. She couldn't quite place it, but it reminded her of something...Legolas. It reminded her of Legolas. The bow was nearly identical except for the silver designs instead of the gold Legolas' bow had. The quiver was brown leather with red designs exactly like the arm guards. She could hear voices nearby, but had to stop for a moment: her head was swimming. Taking hold of a stone bannister, Rachel closed her eyes and focused. It made her feel a little better, but she still didn't have any balance.  
  
"Are you alright, Lady Elentari?" a warrior elf asked with concern. He was fair of skin and long in the face. Rachel thought of the irony in him already knowing her name. It reminded her of her first day as the Scorpion Commander. Everyone knew her before she knew them. It was a weird feeling. That's how she felt now.  
  
"I'm fine. Just...point toward the river?" she asked, squinting her eyes as shapes in her vision began to blur. She followed the elf's finger and stumbled in that direction. Hearing Holly's voice and worried pacing, Rachel straightened herself out. She resumed her old posture and air and tried with all her might to forget about her dizzy spells. Holly was, in most respects, like a little sister to Rachel although she was older and Rachel didn't like showing anybody she was weak.  
  
"Are you sure she'll be here, Haldir?" Aragorn asked. Rachel, peering through a small bush, saw the elf smiling at Aragorn and watched Holly play with her new sword. She was a national champion in fencing, so Rachel knew she'd be "playing" for hours. Even in the boats.  
  
"She was on her way here when I left. She'll be here in a moment, I promise you."  
  
Rachel tried to figure out how the elf got there before she did and got royally pissed, but her mind was fuzzy, so she let it be. Taking a large breath, Rachel strapped on her quiver and bow and walked out from behind the bushes. No body noticed her for a moment, but soon a small breeze floated by and shifted Rachel's hair back, revealing her ears, and Legolas and Aragorn watched the new and improved Rachel walk down the stairs. Holly just stared at her blankly.  
  
Legolas watched the elf before him walk towards him, noticing a sure appearance of Rachel. But Rachel wasn't an elf. How could this elf before him take her beauty? Then Haldir announced it...  
  
"Presenting Rachel...now Lady Galadriel's daughter, Elentari. Star Queen of Lorien!"  
  
Legolas took a step forward, smiling slightly. Holly fell over, as did the hobbits. Aragorn and Boromir took a step back and Gimli gasped in awe. Legolas had never felt something like the tightening he felt in his chest. His heart raced and, if Rachel was an elf, she knew it. She could hear it. For a human, she was outstanding, but as an elf...he couldn't even begin to comprehend...  
  
Something was wrong. Legolas saw the blank expression on Rachel's face and her clenched fists. Without a moment's hesitation, he ran forward and caught the woman as she nearly fell to the stone floor. She had passed out. Her face was drained and she had a slight fever.  
  
"What's wrong with her?" Pippin yelled defensively. He rushed to Legolas and stared at Rachel hopelessly, nearly in tears.  
  
"No," Legolas whispered. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face and listened for her heart beat which was healthy and her breathing was normal.  
  
"Legolas! Is she alright?" Aragorn called out. Holly was still paralyzed on the ground. The fact that her friend was now an elf was still fresh in her mind and her brain didn't register that Rachel had fainted.  
  
"Do not worry yourselves. She will sleep on and off for many hours though no more than a day," Galadriel said from the top of the small stair way. She seemed human now. Her breath was almost raspy and her ears rounded. The light that had engulfed her the night before was burnt out.  
  
"Sleep?" Boromir inquired. He stepped forward and Merry, Sam, and Frodo weren't far behind him. Gimli just stood beside Holly, helpless.  
  
"Sleep. She is certainly not dying. She is living an immortal life for the first time and I a mortal one. Give her time."  
  
With the last remark, she handed Frodo the Star of Elendil in a vile and stood beside the river as the Fellowship gathered their things. Holly was stuck with Gimli in a boat for Rachel was sleeping and of no use. She rode with Legolas.  
  
"Oh. I'm on a boat now," Rachel said, waking up for the first time. She was mildly uncomfortable and squirmed slightly. Her head was still twirling and every move took all her effort.  
  
"You are uncomfortable?" Legolas asked, not breaking his stroke of the oar on the water. Rachel looked up at him and listened to his heart which was steady and his breath was equally so. Her mind began to roam. His profile was beautiful and his elegancy was remarkable.Rachel's heart quickened and she got butterflies. He was so in control...  
  
"I can live with it. Been in worse situations," she said, still staring at the movement of his muscles as they moved the oar repeatedly with a steady rhythm. Her voice trailed off and she began to daydream.  
  
"You may rest on my knee if you so wish," he said after a moment. She was nearly completely awake and the dizzy spells were fading away swiftly. Rachel, aware of the skipping heart beat of Legolas and the raspy breath, knew that he wasn't kidding and she settled herself on the floor of the boat, her arm on his lap and her head rested against her elbow. She loved the feel of the warm velvet near her face. When she nearly told herself that it wasn't only the velvet she liked, Rachel jerked away, making Legolas stumble slightly and snap his head in her direction with worry.  
  
"I'm sorry. I can't right now. It pulls a muscle in my neck," Rachel lied. Although she was an elf and elves couldn't lie, that didn't mean her personality changed. She was still the best damn liar anybody had ever seen. That's what happened when you grew up in the theatre. Even though that fact still stood, she was sure Legolas knew otherwise. She shivered slightly (her cloak was in a bag on another boat) and sat Indian style on the seat in front of Legolas. She stared into the wind and got goose bumps. Obviously, she didn't have all of the properties of an elf and wouldn't for a long time. All well. She was going to live forever. Why not savor it?  
  
Legolas watched her shake, heard the shiver in her breath, and sighed. He stopped rowing the boat and removed his own cloak. The wind did not effect him nearly as much as the newest member of the elven race. Without her even realizing it, he snaked the cloak around her slim body, feeling, without necessarily touching, every curve in her body and grew tight once again from the sensation. Once she noticed him near her, she looked back at him and he looked down, wanting to taste her lips, but afraid of what the consequences of the time were. He didn't want to hurt her more than she already hurt, although he didn't know the extent of the sorrow in her heart. It was apparent that she was in pain at all times, like most of their race. Unlike them, her grief was mending and so was his. He didn't hold the sadness of most elves. He was still young compared to most. After reflecting a moment, Legolas reached around her neck and fastened the clasp around her slender collar bones. Soon after, Rachel fell into her sleep once again and Legolas pondered to himself aloud as he sang softly, realizing what the clasp of his cloak meant.  
  
"Even though you are no one's, I have claimed you, Rachel." 


	13. Reaching Unsafe Harbor

Disclaimer: I hold no claims to the original LOTR cast (Holly and Rachel are mine)  
  
A/N: No flames  
  
  
  
Time: Reaching Unsafe Harbor  
  
  
  
The boats, after sailing by the elegant Argornath, were pulled up on shore and the still sleeping Rachel was carried to a soft spot under a tree. Holly challenged Boromir to a little sword play and was as first refused.  
  
"Wuss! You just can't handle this!" Holly said teasingly, pointing at her chest. She was dancing around singing the "neener neener neeeeeennerrrr" song and finally Boromir gave in to the spunky little *mumble*grumble*...  
  
"Fine! Just don't expect me to...!" Boromir yelled in fighting stance. Holly made a mad dash at him and he barely had time to raise his sword. He began using the only technique he knew while Holly fought in her own style: rapier style. Boromir was completely thrown off track by it and was barely able to dodge the hyper girl he fought. She tripped him and held her slight sword to his throat. He made no attempt to move.  
  
"You still think I'm weak? C'mon! Get up, you girl!" Holly yelled. She was, at one point, the coach for the fencing team. She trained them herself: every trick she knew. Boromir smiled and then the smile went nasty.  
  
"Oh, the pain I could cause you," he whispered. Holly, completely untouched by his words, widened her eyes and held a hand to her mouth, making a small noise.  
  
"If it's the pain I think you intend...already done. Sorry, hun. Maybe your next threat will be a little more...Boromir-ish," Holly said, prancing away. Boromir stood, motionless as he tried to uncover the meaning of Holly's words. When he realized that she was "experienced" in bed, his eyes got wide and he gasped in astonishment.  
  
"Excuse me! I'm afraid I would never do what you're implying!"  
  
"Oh, that's just what you say now, buddy," Holly sighed, leaning up against a tree trunk. Legolas coughed and turned red in the face and ears. Pippin and Merry burst out laughing and Gimli guffawed. Aragorn didn't notice, but Rachel stole a glance at Holly, then at Boromir, then at Legolas and grinned. She immediately wiped it off her face, realizing what her "instincts" were telling her. Boromir stood and walked away in the direction Frodo had wandered off. Nobody noticed.  
  
"Okay...I'm on solid ground now and I can feel the effects," Rachel said, standing up. She was experiencing mild "sea-men legs," but the spells magnified it by one hundred. She felt like she was extremely drunk, in which case she wasn't as composed as she normally was. Legolas walked over to her. Rachel could barely grip the tree and when her hands slipped, Legolas was right there, catching her midfall.  
  
"Thank you, Legolas," Rachel said, staring at the ground. She was obviously embarrassed, but, despite that, Legolas knew the inevitable.  
  
"You should rest!" he yelled at her. Rachel squinted up at him and decided that she needed a mint (she didn't have a toothbrush with her). Searching through her stuff, she found one, but she also found her Lord of the Rings trilogy set and her cd player. Not to mention her cell phone, her *ahem* feminine products, her sketching supplies, pencils, paper, a few cds, another book, gum, granola bars, a chocolate bar?(must be Holly's), her diary, and a pair of binoculars that she decided she didn't need anymore. During their quest, she never really got into her bag except to get some clips for her gun.  
  
"Music! Art! Novels! Heaven!" Rachel said quietly to herself. Pippin walked over and handled Rachel's cd player with confusion.  
  
"What's this? Magic?" he asked, turning it over. Rachel laughed at him as he tried to bite one of her earphones.  
  
"Nope. Just electricity and plastic," Rachel and Holly said together.  
  
"What's electricity?" Gimli asked.  
  
"What is plastic?" Aragorn asked. Everyone stared at them and the two girls decided that they would explain modern marvels later.  
  
"It's a cd player. It plays music on this disk and you listen to it through these," Rachel explained. She turned it on and handed it to Pippin, showing him how to wear the earphones. He listened with interest to the Beethoven and Bach and Handil and Chopin on Rachel's cd. Legolas and she could hear it without the earphones and all the hobbits crowded around, wanting to listen. Holly found hers and let Aragorn and Gimli listen to Alanis Moriset. They seemed to like it.  
  
"Where's Frodo?" Pippin asked when he noticed that Frodo wasn't participating in all the fun. Sam jerked away from the earphones and looked around the clearing worriedly, as did the rest of them.  
  
"Shit!" Holly yelled grabbing her sword. She remembered this part of the book and rushed off into the woods. 


	14. Attraction and Distraction

Disclaimer: I hold no claims to the original LOTR cast (Holly and Rachel are mine)  
  
A/N: No flames  
  
  
  
Time: Distraction and Attraction  
  
"Boromir! Boromir!" Holly yelled as she ran throughout the forest. She remembered something about a hillside or…there!  
  
"Give me the Ring!" the man shrieked as he lunged at Frodo. Holly pushed her speed and jumped at Boromir who found himself swallowing leaves. Holly stood and watched as a few branches rustled as the frightened hobbit ran, invisible. She didn't move except to heave her chest in exhaustion from her sprint, completely oblivious to the angered man at her feet.  
  
With a cry, Boromir grabbed Holly's feet and yanked her to the ground.  
  
"Ow! You son of a bitch!" Holly yelled. She hit him hard in the jaw with the hilt of her sword and he fell back. On her feet again, Holly stood ready for Boromir to raise his sword at her. He was on his knees now and a sob escaped him.  
  
"Holly?" he cried softly. Despite herself, Holly fell to the ground beside him. The man broke down and let tears fall freely onto Holly's shoulder for some time. She held him in her arms and said soothing words to him.  
  
"It's not your fault. Don't worry, Boromir, you didn't hurt Frodo or me."  
  
"I could never hurt you. I…" Boromir couldn't finish. Holly looked at him with big, brown eyes and her heart skipped.  
  
"You what?"  
  
"I don't know…I just…"  
  
Boromir leaned in towards Holly. She gasped slightly as his lips pressed gently to hers. Suddenly, he withdrew. Holly gazed at him with her puppy eyes glistening with affection.  
  
"I'm sorry! That was extremely—" Boromir began, but Holly cut him off.  
  
"Shut up, you wuss."  
  
She giggled and pulled him close for another, more sensual kiss. He laughed as the quest, the Fellowship, and the Ring were forgotten. All he wanted or desired was his.  
  
A/N: Sorry it took so long. First excuse: Insomnia and writer's block tend to hate each other with a passion. Second excuse: My files were all destroyed, but ah fuck it, right? 


	15. Attraction and Distraction of the Elven ...

Disclaimer: I hold no claims to the original LOTR cast (Holly and Rachel are mine)  
  
A/N: No flames  
  
Time: Attraction and Distraction of the Elven Kind  
  
  
  
Aragorn was pacing the forest floor. He seemed to be in deep thought, but was only straining his ears to hear any sound or cry.  
  
"Aragorn, Holly knows what she's doing, alright? She'll be fine," Rachel said soothingly. Legolas still would not let her stand but stood himself right beside her. He crossed his arms and then a faint noise reached both elves' ears. It was the sound of giggling. Holly. Then…another voice chuckled playfully. Boromir.  
  
"Why do you two look so red?" Pippin chimed. Legolas and Rachel were bright crimson and Rachel coughed slightly.  
  
"You don't wanna know," she said quietly, redder than ever. Aragorn sighed with agitation and hit his fist against his palm.  
  
""I cannot stand here and let this happen! I'm going to find Frodo!" the ranger said just before dashing off into the woods. Legolas reached his hand out as if it would stop Aragorn, but said nothing. Rachel, however…  
  
"Aragorn! Get your ass back here! You have no idea what you're about to walk in—aw shit! Well, this will definitely be interesting," she told herself, mentally kicking Legolas' ass for not letting her stand up. She listened carefully and laughed when Holly greeted Aragorn without one embarrassed note in her voice. Aragorn mumbled an apology and ran off in the opposite direction.  
  
"That woman has no self-conscientious, does she?" Legolas asked, staring at the bank. Rachel nodded and, while his head was turned, stood. The hobbits were examining a newfound mushroom patch about fifty yards away from the others. Sam didn't recognize them and Merry was urging Pippin to find out if the plants were poisonous…  
  
"Ugh! They're bitter! I like them!" Pippin said, spitting out his first bite, but then snarfing down the rest of the mushroom. Gimli got fed up and started yelling at the hobbits that taunted him back. Before they knew it, the dwarf was chasing them around the clearing. Legolas looked at them and then looked at Rachel, who was walking towards her pack.  
  
"What are you doing?!"  
  
"Well, there's going to be quite the battle coming up and I don't want to get this beautiful tunic bloodied up with orc guts," she said plainly enough. Not really thinking, only enjoying her enhanced senses (but trying to block out Holly's giggles), Rachel took off her outer tunic. The hobbits, still too busy with their mushroom patch, didn't even blink. Nor did they notice the expression on Legolas' face when Rachel proceeded in taking off her inner tunic, not realizing that Haldir had also disposed of the "cloth and wire contraption that wrapped around her chest." Rachel, still topless, reached into her bag and got out an old work T-shirt.  
  
Legolas sat in silence, butterflies catching in his stomach. He had never known that to happen before. She was beautiful…and he should be a gentleman and look away, but his eyes were riveted on her form. Rachel. Just thinking the name sent shivers down his spine. Legolas tried to tell Rachel what she had just done, but he choked on the words. Rachel turned around, fiddling with her dog tags. When she looked up at him, Legolas was staring, openmouthed at her.  
  
"What?" she asked, shrugging. Legolas tried again to speak, but words failed him. Rachel looked down at her chest then stamped her foot against the ground. She really didn't' mean for that to happen. But, hey, at least she had her back to him the entire time. When it came to getting dressed in front of other men, Rachel wasn't shy at all. That's what happens when you have what she had. "Shit. Sorry…Haldir is definitely gonna die next time I end up in Lothlorien."  
  
Legolas nodded, but a screech interrupted their awkward moment. An orc… no several orcs…ran towards the hobbits. Legolas was nearly cursing himself for getting *ahem * sidetracked.  
  
"Damn!" Rachel yelled. She picked up her guns, sheathed her knives, and strapped on her quiver. Nearly about to sprint at the ambush, Legolas grabbed her shoulder.  
  
"You are in no state to fight!"  
  
"Like hell I'm not! I'm gonna fight, damnit, and if you try to stop me I will knock you down and walk on your skull!" she said, infuriated. Enough is enough and Rachel definitely didn't like being babied. She ran off and Legolas, along with Gimli, trailed behind after telling the hobbits to get somewhere safe. As he ran into the oncoming battle, Legolas contemplated and smiled to himself. Rachel. So vulnerable and gentle at times, but when it really mattered, she was as stubborn as a rock and just as strong. 


	16. Vows

Disclaimer: Okay, so my other one was getting old…NANOO NANOO!!! (Anyarubi and my catch phrase)…That should be enough to tell you what I think of this stuff.  
  
A/N: For my fans, don't get excited yet, but I'm putting up a site of my art. It has a picture for every chapter in Time, among my other stories. I also have other miscellaneous stuff on the site. You know: trivia, facts, other people's stories, my stories, fan art, etc. It's gonna take a while, but the URL will be up in my bio.  
  
Time: Vows  
  
Boromir playfully chased after Holly who was holding the Horn of Gondor captive. They laughed and made their way up a small hill, laughing and acting like children. Boromir caught Holly and tickled her on the ribs. She fell to the ground, giggling.  
  
"Tickle bad! Tickle bad!" she yelled as he tackled her. He got a grip on the horn when Holly kissed him again. Immediately, Boromir let go of the horn and leaned toward Holly. She ducked out from underneath him and stood, holding the horn tauntingly. Boromir laughed and rolled onto his back.  
  
"You are full of suprises. How could I ever resist you as long as I did?" he asked between gasps. Holly laughed and stuck her tongue out at him. He shook his head in amusement.  
  
"Holly: one. Boromir: zip!" she teased. Boromir stood and lunged at her, missing her by a mere inch as she climbed higher.  
  
"And what was that supposed to mean, my dear?"  
  
Holly didn't respond. She just cocked her head to the side, made a small puppy noise, and kept running upwards.  
  
Suddenly, she stopped at the cliff's edge. It overlooked the river. Boromir, still laughing, came up behind her, but his smile was swiped from his face when he saw what was below them.  
  
Orcs. Hundreds of them were creeping along the river bank. They moved quickly with silent ease and seemed like spiders. They missed only the other six legs, but that was replaced by growls and stitches and gnarled teeth.  
  
"Uruk-hai," Holly whispered, remembering the Lord of the Rings movie she saw as a teenager with Rachel. Boromir looked at her.  
  
"The what?"  
  
"Uruk-hai. They're enhanced orcs," she said. She was fighting back the tears forming in her eyes and Boromir clenched her hand in his.  
  
"Look!" he cried, pointing nearly directly below them. Rachel, Gimli, and Legolas ran at the approaching orcs. They fought fiercely, Rachel using Kung Fu, a form of martial arts Boromir had never seen before.  
  
"Rachel!" Holly yelled. Her friend couldn't hear her for she was screaming and yelling and in the heat of battle. Holly nearly began to cry. What if…  
  
"Holly, we must fight. Please, love, don't cry," Boromir begged. He held her face in his hands. Holly nodded and hugged him tight. She didn't want to loose him. She knew what was going to happen if he fought….  
  
"Please, don't go! We can stay up here! We can wait for the battle to end! Please! Anything but join the fight! I don't want to watch you…" Holly couldn't finish her sentence. Boromir kissed her forehead.  
  
"Nothing will happen, but I owe it to the Fellowship to fight. I betrayed them and you. I have no choice. Maybe I could save a life," Boromir contemplated. He smelled Holly's hair and soothingly rubbed her back. She shuddered as a sob escaped her lips and Boromir shushed her.  
  
"I don't want you to go. I don't want to go. I was enjoying this," Holly whispered into Boromir's tunic. He pulled her away and to see the tears flow down her cheeks broke his heart, but he remained stoic (A/N: without emotion).  
  
"I will not leave you. In life or death, my heart is yours. I won't let go of you," Boromir vowed. Holly smiled,. They were the most beautiful words anyone had ever said to her.  
  
"I love you too, Boromir! My love will always be yours, but I couldn't bear to see you hurt! Not now, not ever!" Holly cried out. Boromir was near tears himself and saw no other way to hold them back other than to steal another, deep kiss from his love.  
  
"I must leave. Promise me you'll stay here!" Boromir said. Holly shook her head, speechless. "Promise me!"  
  
Holly gulped down hard and nodded, looking at the ground.  
  
"I'll come back for you. That is my promise," Boromir whispered in Holly's ear. One more kiss was all he left her with as he raced down the hill.  
  
"Boromir!" Holly yelled as she watched him run. He blew the Horn of Gondor. Holly choked on her words. "I'll never see you again."  
  
Holly cried for several minutes, but a gasp escaped her lips when she noticed something around her finger. A golden band with the crest of Gondor wrapped around her engagement finger. Boromir's ring. Holly laughed and smiled despite her fiancè's destiny. Realizing what was about to happen to her love, Holly stood and ran…no…sprinted down the hill after Boromir. She didn't ever make promises…even if they were his.  
  
"I can't let you die!"  
  
A/N: Was that fast enough for you, 


	17. Swish Swish Clang Clang I couldn't think...

Disclaimer: Do I really need one of these? *Looks around the room for an answer * Really, I'm being serious. Do I need one of these?  
  
A/N: If any of you faithful fans that actually read these author notes, I'll be having a site up soon. It's under my bio, but nothing is really up and running. If you want to submit stuff or something or you have questions, e-mail me!  
  
  
  
Time: Swish Swish Clang Clang (I couldn't think of a good title.)  
  
  
  
Rachel fought hard. She had never felt this strong and powerful. Never this alive. Pulling a dagger from her belt loop, she threw it into a particularly ugly orc's forehead. Legolas stopped and looked back at her after shooting an orc in the heart. Rachel shrugged and ran forward to Legolas' side.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked over the battle cries. Rachel drew her bow and set up an arrow almost quicker than Legolas himself.  
  
"It's been a while…" She shot an orc at close range and it when clean through, skewering another behind it. "But I think I've still got my edge."  
  
Legolas stared at her, almost forgetting about the swords swinging around him. He was still dazed when Rachel knocked him over. When he snapped to, Rachel was laying on top of him and a shower of arrows whizzed over their heads. Without saying a word, Rachel rolled off him and unhooked a gun. A resounding boomed as she shot an orc in the gut. All fighting stopped momentarily and she held her hand out to Legolas' who was stunned.  
  
"Get up, damnit!" she yelled at him. He let her help him up and grabbed his bow in the process. Again, the battle raged. With every step, Rachel seemed to be stronger. It was an amazing feeling.  
  
"There are too many of them! We must retreat!" Gimli yelled, hacking an orc's skull open. Rachel nodded her head and the three of them ran for it. As they drew the Uruk-hai up the hillside, Legolas' came up beside Rachel. She side-glanced at him.  
  
"I owe you my life," he said, panting. Rachel shook her head.  
  
"Fight now, talk later!"  
  
With that, she pushed forward into a sprint. Even Legolas had a hard time keeping up with her. Gimli was far behind them, but still ahead of the super-orcs.  
  
As she ran, Rachel could feel Legolas' eyes on her back. It made her stomach fly.  
  
As she ran, Legolas' watched her in amazement. This woman was consuming him…from the inside out. 


	18. Hopeless Search

Disclaimer: All you need is…what you want is…loooovvvvveeeee (Oops…I'm listening to Dave Matthews Band… ^_-) I don't own nuttin!  
  
A/N: As I said before, my site will be up soon, so check it out!  
  
  
  
Time: Hopeless Searching  
  
Holly ran…fast. Her side hurt like it never had before, but that may have been because she was trying to fight back the tears in her eyes. Boromir was nowhere in sight. She couldn't even hear his voice. Right before the gasps came and the sobs racked her lungs, Holly stumbled onto her knees.  
  
"This is hopeless!" she cried. Then she remembered Rachel…  
  
"Rachel?" Holly asked as a figure stumbled out of the hospital door. During her last mission, Rachel had been severely injured by a bullet in her leg. She was the lucky one.  
  
"Yes, Lieutenant Commander Craig?" Rachel asked between gritted teeth. Holly knew it wasn't just because of the pain, but because of respect. When they were on the base, Rachel was referred to as ma'am by everybody…even Holly.  
  
"Sorry, ma'am!" Holly said, snapping to attention. Rachel sighed, shook her head, and hobbled down the corridor. Holly watched her friend and couldn't stand being disciplined.  
  
"Permission to speak freely?"  
  
"Yes?" Rachel asked, agitated and glaring at her watch. Holly gulped. Rachel could be brutal when she was in a bad mood.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?"  
  
"I'm going to the service."  
  
Holly nearly fell over, but instead let her jaw drop. Rachel smiled slightly and shook her head, adjusting her bum leg slightly.  
  
"B-but the doctor…" Holly began, pointing toward her room. Rachel cut her off.  
  
"Fuck the doctor. I'm going to my boys' funeral if I have to crawl."  
  
"It's hopeless, ma'am. You'll never get there in time! It starts in five minutes!"  
  
"Nothing's hopeless. I learned that last week, Craig. If you want something enough, you'll get it."  
  
With that, Rachel limped, fists clenched, from the hospital. When the nurse asked her to stay, she practically spat on her desk. Holly watched her and, sure enough, Rachel made it to the funeral. She had two minutes to spare. Granted, that was after she hot-wired a jeep…  
  
Despite herself, Holly laughed. Rachel definitely had a stubborn personality. Wiping her tears away, Holly listened closely for any sign of Boromir and there, in the grass, was a pair of muddy footprints. Holly stood and began running. She smiled and ran harder. Boromir and she would be together, and it was up to her to make that happen.  
  
"Nothing's hopeless, after all." 


	19. Ouch Titles suck and Prozac doesn't help

Disclaimer: hippopanonymousawhopbamboo…Sorry, I got it from Killfrog. You should go there!  
  
A/N: web site… hello…Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles…I'm sure you get it.  
  
  
  
Time: Ouch (Titles suck and Prozac doesn't help.)  
  
"Boromir!" Holly yelled. She ran out from behind a small grove and saw Boromir beating back rabid orcs. She then saw Pippin and Merry watching from behind. She heard footsteps and gruesome snarls come from behind her. A particularly large orc came from the grove and Holly ducked behind a tree. The Uruk-hai leader walked out, carrying a large, compound bow with an arrow in place.  
  
Holly nearly fell backwards at the stench of its flesh. He looked like he was ripped apart and then stitched back together. She realized it could only be one orc. Lurtz. Drool dribbled down his chin and he took aim at Boromir. Holly was fighting the smell of decayed flesh when she heard the first arrow whiz through the air and hit something with a loud thud. Her world stopped.  
  
"Boromir," she whispered, afraid beyond all reason. Suddenly, a look of great determination engulfed her. With a vengeful yell, Holly ran out from behind her tree and tackled Lurtz from behind. He roared and clawed at her. Finally, he grabbed her and threw her against a tree, loading an arrow with lightning speed. Before she could regain her balance, Holly felt a gut- wrenching pain in her abdomen. Metal tore at flesh as an arrow drove into her. Looking down, Holly was in shock.  
  
"Holly!" Boromir yelled. He had an arrow in his shoulder and watched, unable to do anything for the orcs flooding in around him. Desperately, he tried to fight them away. He succeeded in killing many of them and ran toward Lurtz and his wife-to-be.  
  
Before he could get there, Lurtz grabbed Holly's shirt collar and tossed her. A deafening scream escaped her lips and was immediately muted as she hit a rock…hard and past out. Boromir stopped mid-stride and stared, horror-stricken. Holly wasn't moving. He fell to his knees and watched as orcs carried two rebellious hobbits and Holly off. All hope was lost. Holly was gone.  
  
An armored foot came into his line of view and Boromir looked up. Lurtz was standing before him, an arrow pointed at his head. Boromir saw no reason to live, so he welcomed the oncoming sting of death.  
  
At that moment, Aragorn's voice cut through he air and Lurtz was knocked sideways. Boromir watched the ranger struggle against the orc. He was almost afraid that he would cause even more death when Rachel ran into the situation.  
  
"You bastard! Get the fuck away from him!" she yelled and she sliced Lurtz's leg open with a dagger. He shrieked in agony and Rachel ripped her knife out. Aragorn jumped him from behind, but was flung into a tree. Lurtz threw his shield at Aragorn and caught his neck between its two points. Aragorn tried with all his might to free himself of the orc's shield, but couldn't. With a grotesque look of rage on her face, Rachel pulled her gun from its holster and shot Lurtz in the back. It gave her time to help pry away the metal around Aragorn's neck.  
  
"Thanks," he said.  
  
"Shut up and kick some ass!" Rachel yelled at him. He picked up his sword and Lurtz lunged at Rachel. She ducked as Aragorn sliced Lurtz's head off. Blood splattered them both and Aragorn didn't miss a beat before he knelt beside Boromir.  
  
"They took the little ones! They took my love!" he sobbed. Aragorn looked at his wounded shoulder and moved to pull it out. "Leave it! I'd rather die than live not knowing if Holly's alive!"  
  
"You're not going to die!" Rachel yelled from behind them. She threw some gauze and a few cloth pads with rubbing alcohol at them. Aragorn pulled the arrow out and Boromir screamed. Rachel didn't even notice. She was staring off in the direction that the orcs had fled. A small cloud of dust was trailing behind their retreating forms and with a cry, Rachel began running.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" Gimli shouted after her. Legolas knew precisely where she was going and ran after her. She wasn't going to get herself killed.  
  
Rachel couldn't think of anything but the scream that she knew was Holly's. If she had made her way there a little bit faster…  
  
A hand grabbed her arm and spun her around. Legolas caught her, as he always did, and Rachel snapped her hand away from him. She didn't say anything, but began running again. Legolas held her arm tightly and Rachel tried to punch him. He dodged it easily.  
  
"Get off me! Get off…" Rachel said, her words slowly turning into a whisper. Holly wasn't going to go through what she knew Merry and Pippin did in the book. Legolas grabbed her other arm and Rachel fought with all her strength, but the elf was stronger than she.  
  
"You can't do anything," he said quietly. Rachel shook her head and Legolas could see the tears barely present in her eyes.  
  
"I can, though! I could have. I knew it would happen! I knew all of this would happen! Don't you understand? It's my fault!" Rachel yelled. She jerked herself away from Legolas and fell to the floor. Her hair fell over her face, but the elven prince knew she was in pain. He walked forward feeling guilty for letting her fall.  
  
"Rachel…"  
  
"Don't! Just get away from me!" she cried. Whatever happened, she wouldn't let anyone see her cry. No one really had for over a decade.  
  
"Please. Let me help," Legolas pleaded. When he heard a click and a pistol was aimed at his chest, he knew that Rachel wanted space.  
  
"I'll be fine. Leave," she commanded. Her voice was calm. Legolas walked away, his hands held out in surrender. After he was out of site. Rachel's hands began to shake and she dropped the gun. She brought her knees into her chest and sat, fighting back her sobs. Today was definitely not her day. 


	20. Run For Their Lives

Disclaimer: hippopanonymousawhopbamboo (Man! I still love saying that!)  
  
A/N: okay, my web site is kind of functioning…you can go there if you want to! (Hopeful pleading)  
  
  
  
Time: Run For Their Lives  
  
"Will she be alright, Legolas?" Gimli asked. He almost had a fatherly tone to his voice. The elf bowed his head and Aragorn looked up, confused from the roll of gauze, alcohol and cloth pads.  
  
"I'm not certain. She nearly…" he couldn't finish. He didn't know what to call the shot of a gun. Aragorn sighed and stood. Boromir watched silently as the three in front of him paced the forest floor. Soon, he could take no more of it.  
  
"I can't stand this! Holly, my love, is being trampled to death by orcs and her dearest friend is near a mental downfall! What shall we do?"  
  
"Would you stop whining? We have to figure out what to do with you before we go off and rescue the hobbits and Holly!" Gimli snapped. Boromir shut his mouth, knowing the dwarf was right.  
  
"First, we must bandage you. Yet, I have no clue as to these things she threw at me. Isopropyl alcohol. I'm not sure if this will harm you or help you," Aragorn said, reading the label of Rachel's rubbing alcohol. He pronounced it wrong.  
  
Rachel was within hearing distance and smiled faintly when Aragorn did this. She decided that it would be best to return and help him. She began thinking and all sound was blocked from her ears and Holly's favorite song, "In Dreams" escaped her lips.  
  
"Aragorn…I must speak with you. Something about her tears at me, but I'm not familiar with the feeling," Legolas said in his friend's ear. Aragorn smiled and nodded his head knowingly.  
  
"'Tis the same for Arwen in my mind I believe. A tearing of the heart? As though it rips when she's not close and cries in anguish when she's far? A yearning and tightening of the chest and a rapid heartbeat?" Aragorn asked. Legolas nodded to all questions.  
  
"What shall I do? I'm at a loss!"  
  
"You are the only one who can answer that question, my friend. But, perhaps, maybe she could answer it as well," Aragorn encrypted. Legolas gulped nervously. His ear twitched as a voice reached him. It was soft and beautiful…none other than Rachel. She sang an extraordinary song. Legolas drowned in her voice; could smell her hair. His eyes closed as he tried to fight back the intolerable…  
  
"How is he?" Rachel asked, walking into the clearing. Legolas snapped his eyes open and watched Rachel's worried gaze fall upon Boromir. His breathing was raspy and he was nearly fighting consciousness.  
  
"Not well, I'm afraid. What is this?" Aragorn asked, handing her the bottle of rubbing alcohol. Rachel sighed and shook her head. Of course they wouldn't know about that stuff...  
  
"Here, let me," she said, kneeling beside Boromir. He gritted his teeth together when she ripped open his shirt only to reveal a ghastly arrow wound gushing with blood. She grabbed a trig and broke in half, sticking it between Boromir's jaw. This rubbing alcohol wasn't like what the civilians used. It really got out the infection and dirt and blood of war. It stung worse than getting the wound itself, most times.  
  
"What are you doing?" Gimli asked. He peered over her shoulder as she worked and so did Aragorn and Legolas.  
  
"Boromir, this will hurt…a lot," she said, pouring the alcohol on his chest. Boromir screamed in agony. He was gasping for breath and a few blood vessels popped out on his neck. He finally calmed down and Rachel told him to turn on his side. He did the best he could and Rachel began taping him up. A cloth pad was placed over top of the wound and the gauze was wrapped securely around his shoulder. With that, Aragorn helped him put his tattered shirt and outer tunic back on.  
  
"Where are you going?" Gimli asked. Rachel didn't even turn when she picked up her bag and started for the bank of the river. Frodo and Sam were still there, she knew it.  
  
"To say good bye."  
  
When Rachel reached the shore, Frodo was just barely into the boat. When he saw Rachel, he stopped momentarily before rowing faster.  
  
"Stop! I just want to wish you good luck," she told him. He glared at her and nodded. Rachel leaned outward and pulled the boat back in.  
  
"Good bye…You understand, don't you, Rachel?" he asked. She could sense the tremble in his voice. She didn't need elven powers to tell her that Frodo was afraid.  
  
"I do, but take Sam with you. He'll come in handy, trust me," Rachel told him. He shook his head vigorously.  
  
"No. I couldn't! I don't want him to get hurt!"  
  
"Too bad, Frodo. He'll swim across this river is he has to."  
  
"He can't swim!"  
  
"Precisely…"  
  
"…Alright then. Why do you fight?"  
  
Rachel looked at the hobbit. He was serious. She thought he had joked with her, but he was serious this time. Sighing, she slumped to the ground.  
  
"I don't know…I fought all my life, really. Ever since the war back home began, I've been fighting. I never gave much thought to it," she said, honestly. Frodo smiled and reached over the side of the boat. He put a hand on Rachel's shoulder.  
  
"I've never known there to be female warriors, but you've proven me wrong. Why should Sam come with me if it may cause him danger?" Frodo asked. I looked at him and laughed. Everything in Middle-Earth had some horrendous danger involved with it. How was this danger any different from the others?  
  
"Believe me, he will be very important in later chap—in later times," Rachel said. She had almost referred to her new life as a book. That made her feel great sadness, but it was cut off by the hobbit's laughter.  
  
"You're an oracle now, are you?"  
  
"I guess you could say that," Rachel laughed. They smiled at one another and Rachel stood when Sam came bounding through the nearby hedge. He cried out at the sight of Frodo and immediately jumped in the boat.  
  
"Why must you always put yourself in harm's way for me, Sam?" Frodo asked. Sam looked at him and then at Rachel.  
  
"Don't you loose him Samwise Gamgee! I don't mean to," he said. They hugged and began rowing away, but Rachel stopped them.  
  
"I have something for you, Frodo!" she said.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Take it!" she yelled, throwing a portfolio at him. When he opened it, he was met with the faces of everyone in the Fellowship including Holly and Rachel. Tears streaming down his face, Frodo looked up to say his thanks, but Rachel was nowhere in sight.  
  
Legolas sat by Boromir. He noticed that the man was far better off now that he was properly bandaged. Rachel certainly knew how to heal. What else did she do? There seemed to be no limit to her talents. No flaws.  
  
"What troubles you, Legolas?" Aragorn asked. He looked at the elf with suspicion.  
  
"Most women would faint at the sight of so much blood and such a gruesome wound."  
  
"Indeed. Most human and hobbit women, at least."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Remember, Rachel is a soldier. I hardly think blood would taint her anymore," Aragorn pointed out. Legolas nodded admiringly. His eyes were agleam and he didn't even notice when Rachel reentered the clearing.  
  
"What were you up to?" Gimli asked. Rachel smiled. All the weight seemed to fade beneath her. She threw her pack to the ground.  
  
"I gave something to Frodo and Sam before they left."  
  
"They left?! To where?!" Gimli shouted, jumping to his feet.  
  
"Mordor."  
  
"What?!" Legolas, Gimli and Boromir shouted together. Rachel and Aragorn glanced at each other.  
  
"They'll be fine, trust me."  
  
No more was said of importance as they geared up. They all, except Boromir, grabbed their weapons and packs. He was left laying on the ground, disgusted with himself.  
  
"What shall I do then?" he asked woefully. Rachel looked at him and pondered what to do with him. She drew up a blank.  
  
"I've no clue…Can you stand and walk?" Boromir stood and walked. He ran when she asked him and told her that, no, it didn't hurt to do so. She nodded and told him to give her his weapons and shield. When he refused, she asked him why not.  
  
"You could not carry so much as my things and your own!" he shouted. The other men agreed. Rachel put her hands on her hips and stared at them with disdain.  
  
"I could and with more ease than any of you! Are equipment packs in the service were at least fifty if not seventy-five pounds at the lightest! I can carry an extra forty pounds!" she said accusingly. Legolas shook his head. He picked up Boromir's things and set them down again.  
  
"Even I could not carry them!"  
  
Aragorn did the same. He shook his head in agreement. Rachel sighed, picked Boromir's weapons up effortlessly and offered Boromir a hand in case he needed it. Everyone stared at her in amazement.  
  
"What?! Holly and any other Marine could do the same!' she told them. Legolas stepped forward.  
  
"If you so much as slip a foot, limp a pace, or stop for breath and say that these things are not weighing you down…"  
  
"I understand! If you want, I'll hand a third of it off to both you and Aragorn when I get tired," she said to him. Legolas and Aragorn nodded. She knew she wouldn't get tired easily and if she did, they'd be the last to know.  
  
With that last thought, the five of them ran off towards the orcs' trail, Aragorn in the lead. 


	21. Realization

Disclaimer: Kernin…(it basically means "bite me" in Elvish)  
  
A/N: My site's not finished, but here's my URL: pages.ivillage.com/fanfiction_n_stuff/  
  
  
  
Time: Realization  
  
  
  
They ran. Aragorn led them across the plains and rocky hills, but running for seven hours dragged all but the elves down. The sun was setting fast and Aragorn debated their path with the rest of the "Hunters."  
  
"It's useless to go on! You won't be able to see something important in the dark!" Gimli said. They had taken a few moments rest on the rocks of a particularly difficult hill. Legolas looked over at Boromir and Rachel. She had been helping him climb up the rocks for several hours and she was getting weak. She showed very faint signs that Legolas and Aragorn noticed when they looked at her. Rachel's face was pale and she seemed to collapse on the stones. Aragorn decided that it wasn't wise to rest yet.  
  
"We'll loose many leagues if we stay here tonight. I say we run on," Aragorn commented. Legolas and Boromir shook their heads.  
  
"No. We stay and rest," Legolas confirmed. Rachel's eyes searched his, but he didn't even look at her. Gimli started a fire (small, of course) and the elven prince stared into it, unmoving. Rachel, despite herself, couldn't take her eyes off him. Boromir noticed, recognizing the look.  
  
"You fancy him." It wasn't a question, it was an observation. Rachel didn't catch what he was saying, so she made a small, incoherent noise. Boromir laughed and she snapped out of her daydreams.  
  
"What makes you think that?!" Rachel whispered desperately. She knew that Legolas could easily hear them, but he didn't even twitch. Rachel wondered why and Boromir read her mind.  
  
"He can't really hear you! He is an elf and that is how they sleep!" he told her. Rachel nodded. She should have known that.  
  
"You do fancy him, don't you!" Boromir inquired accusingly. Rachel blushed brightly and Gimli, who had been eavesdropping, laughed. Aragorn smiled.  
  
"She's more of a lady than I thought!" the dwarf yelled. Aragorn laughed and Boromir did so as well as he could manage (his wound made it sound like a cough rather than a bellow).  
  
Rachel was suddenly hit…no, stabbed…by their words. It was true! She did—  
  
Legolas jerked awake and watched as Rachel climbed back up the hill. He saw the laughing, smiling faces around him watch her run, upset, from the warmth of the fire.  
  
"What did you say to her?!"  
  
"Nothing of importance!" Boromir chuckled. Aragorn was the first to notice the worry in the elf's face and tone of voice. He stopped smiling immediately and Gimli settled down as well.  
  
"Hold you tongue, Boromir!" Aragorn snapped. The man laughed quietly to himself.  
  
"What for? We did no harm!" he guffawed, crossing his arms about his chest. He looked from face to face, his smile turning into a grimace.  
  
"I think we truly did upset her," Aragorn stated regretfully.  
  
Legolas stood and walked in the direction Rachel had fled. Aragorn held his arm for a moment.  
  
"Where are you going, my friend?"  
  
"To fetch Rachel, The air is warm enough that wargs will be hunting…"  
  
  
  
A/N: Okay, just a reminder: Rachel's afraid of canines and wargs are basically giant, vicious wolves who think hobbits make great snacks. Does that sum it up for ya'? 


	22. On The Rocks

Disclaimer: D'arvit nen! (It means "Fuck you" in elvish.) Of course I don't own them!!!  
  
A/N: URL: pages.ivillage.com/fanfiction_n_stuff/  
  
  
  
Time: On The Rocks  
  
  
  
Rachel sat down on the other side of the hill. It wasn't the biggest hill they had climbed that day, so it took next to no time to get away from the others.  
  
"Why do I do this to myself?" she sighed into her open hand. Flash backs of Jake flooded her head. She remembered when she realized that she loved him. The situations were almost identical. It worried her. To loose Legolas the way she lost Jake would kill her…literally. It would break her heart…  
  
A rock fell from a close-by bluff and Rachel snapped her head in its direction. A small flicker of a shadow whizzed behind a boulder, but Rachel passed it off as the wind since a breeze ruffled her hair shortly after.  
  
She began to think…  
  
…Why must I do this to myself? What if he gets killed or hurt? What would I do? What would happen? I can'' help that I love him and that's really hard for me to admit but…I can't help it. Boromir was right. It's so obvious!…  
  
…A faint growl brushed against Rachel's ear. Hot breath was against her neck. When she turned, she was face to face with an enormous warg. Rachel froze with fright. She was paralyzed and the warg's gross breath filled her nose, making her want to vomit.  
  
Another stepped up behind her and she could feel it smelling her hand. Her eyes were wide with fright and it licked her arm, tasting the salty flesh. Rachel could feel her hands seize up as she lost all hope. A third and a fourth surrounded her completely. They closed in slowly, taunting her with their nips and drool. She could feel her blood pumping through her entire body and the wargs could already taste it in their mouths.  
  
She didn't have a gun, her bow, a knife. Nothing. She had been really stupid not to bring something with her. With a small sob, she blinked a few times, hoping they weren't real. Just then, a warg decided to lick her face. Its teeth, practically spears, nipped at her chin and she shuddered. Suddenly, she heard a yelp. Rachel opened her eyes, hoping to find someone there killing the sons of bitches, but instead, a largest warg, the one on her left, grabbed a smaller by the neck, ripping its trachea out with a ghastly gurgle. The two other massive canines began to growl at it, instead of Rachel (which she was very thankful for). One leaped and scratched at the other's ribs, but almost met the same fate as the one before it. The only difference was that it also got it front leg torn off. The next was thrown across the rocks and skewered on a rather sharp stone. It happened so quickly that Rachel barely had time to stand up.  
  
The monster ran after her, catching up quickly. Rachel ran as fast as she could. She didn't hear his feet on the ground behind her anymore. Thinking she had lost it (fear makes you think stupid things), she stopped to catch her breath. Nothing in her life had scared her more than when a deep, barely audible growl sounded on a small bluff above Rachel's head. She fell to the floor as the warg tried to jump her, but not because she intended to. Her knees had buckled from fright.  
  
It turned with remarkable speed and was in mid leap when something knocked it back. Rachel could hear the struggle, wondering if it was another warg. She hoped that they'd kill each other. A human voice gruffed slightly when the thing attacked it again. Rachel now took the time to realize that Legolas' head was nearly inside the warg's mouth. He wasn't strong enough to hold it back.  
  
"Legolas!"  
  
"Rachel! Run!" he said between gritted teeth. They weren't both going to die if he could help it. Rachel, despite her phobia, grew angry.  
  
"No!"  
  
She ran at the beast and knocked it over. Legolas gasped for air. He watched as Rachel kneeled on the ground and the warg shook its head as if to clear it. It stood again and crept toward the elves. Legolas reached back and grabbed a dagger. He threw it right into the beast's ribcage. It howled in agony, stumbled, and got up, anger anewed. It jumped and, right before it landed on Rachel's stomach, another dagger delved into its forehead. With a rumble, the warg fell to the floor.  
  
"Rachel!" Legolas whispered. He crawled over to her and saw her stare up at him as though he were a monster. Indeed, she saw a monster. A warg. She was consumed with fear and tried to bat it away, hiding her face. (A/N: Very unlike Rachel, don't ya' think?)  
  
"No! Get away!" she yelled. He held the sides of her face and made her look into his eyes.  
  
"Rachel, it's me. It's Legolas. You're alright. Calm down," he said to her over and over again. She still resisted being near him, but when she finally let go, her arms wrapped around his back. She sank her head into his shoulder and he rocked her back and forth soothingly, holding her head and back.  
  
He was so comfortable. So warm and safe. How could she ever mistaken him for a beast?  
  
Rachel, I love you. I would never let anything happen to you. You don't realize how much I need you in my life. I love your scent, your voice, your eyes, your touch, but you don't seem to feel the same way. What will I do? Writhe in my own self-loathing or nearly be destroyed in the want of you. There are things I need from you, but I'm unwilling to take them…yet. Please, don't make me…  
  
Rachel had moved her head to look up at Legolas. He hadn't said a word out loud, but she seemed to be able to dig deeper than that. It was almost as if she knew.  
  
Legolas, how could I ever say that I didn't love you? I've loved you since I first held that dagger to your neck. That beautiful neck. You're always there, but I doubt you feel anything remotely the same toward me. You're always so composed. So in control. I normally don't like men that try to control me, but you do it in a way that I can't fight. You're sensual. How could I ever tell you? How could I ever…  
  
"Are you alright?" Legolas asked, staring back at Rachel. She searched his eyes, but couldn't read his mind. She got lost in his eyes.  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
The faint brush of her breath upon his collar bone, made Legolas shiver. He closed his eyes and sighed. Untangling his arms from around her body, Legolas stood up. Rachel still sat on the ground, one tear falling from her face.  
  
"Come, we must make for camp. Wargs don't like fire," he said holding out his hand. Rachel nodded and let him help her up. Again, he shivered. She looked at him with concern.  
  
"What's wrong?" she inquired. Legolas shook his head.  
  
"Nothing for you to worry about." Or maybe you should.  
  
"Alright."  
  
With that last comment, both left the monster's carcass behind. The light of the campfire wasn't far off. 


	23. Camp Fire

Disclaimer: Double trouble boil and bubble  
  
A/N: URL: pages.ivillage.com/fanfiction_n_stuff/  
  
  
  
Time: Camp Fire  
  
  
  
Rachel and Legolas made their way back to the camp without saying a word, both lost in thoughts of the other, though neither expected it. Legolas walked slightly behind Rachel, watching for more creatures. Rachel stopped and looked around. She was obviously alert now too.  
  
Legolas didn't notice her halt and nearly ran into the back of her. She smelled like…  
  
"Maybe we could walk a little faster," she said without looking at him. Legolas opened his eyes to find that he had been leaning in on her neck. He shook his head and followed as Rachel began walking jerkily. She was shaking from the fright of her attack and embarrassment. She didn't want the others to see her like that, but they'd have to.  
  
"What has happened?" Aragorn asked, jumping to his feet. He looked worriedly from elf to elf. Rachel was jittery and Legolas wasn't really listening. Rachel sat down beside Boromir again and put a shaky hand up to her face.  
  
"Wargs," she shuddered. Aragorn looked at Legolas who stared back apparently in agony.  
  
"Are you alright?" the ranger asked them both. Rachel nodded, but Legolas did not.  
  
"Wargs?! We didn't hear a thing!" Gimli shouted. When he got a very serious and very afraid look from Rachel, he stopped immediately.  
  
"I never thought such a thing as a warg would scare you!" Boromir yelled at her. Rachel sighed and shook her head vigorously.  
  
"I hate canines. It's a phobia," she explained. Boromir looked from face to face. Legolas seemed almost as frightened as Rachel.  
  
"We never suspected such a thing! I'm sorry," Gimli shouted. Boromir put his hand on Rachel's and smiled.  
  
"You are family to us now, Rachel. And Holly is…" he couldn't finish his sentence. Rachel understood.  
  
"I know. I'm fine, Boromir. Gimli. I'm okay," she explained. Wargs were not her worst fear at the moment and Holly was the only thing keeping her together anymore. Legolas' control had torn her emotions apart. Boromir's sorrow had done the same and becoming an elf made her not know what to think of herself. What would happen next?  
  
"Aragorn, I must speak with you," Legolas said, his tone almost lethal. Rachel knew they would have to leave the camp fire to do so in private and she jumped to her feet. Her legs felt like rubber.  
  
"No! You can't leave the fire light!" she cried. Nothing would happen to them if they didn't leave the light.  
  
"We'll be right back. I swear it," Aragorn told her. She walked forward, new determination in her voice. Grabbing at her pack, she found her guns and handed one to each of them.  
  
"If you need these, use them. Just pull the trigger," she said, showing them how to hold one. They both nodded and took a gun. When they left, Rachel nearly broke down. She sat, watching them go, her back to the others. Gimli outstretched his hand as if he would speak, but Boromir shook his head. He knew what she was going through.  
  
"What is the matter?" Aragorn asked. Legolas put a hand to his forehead and sighed, obviously troubled.  
  
"Rachel. I never knew she was afraid."  
  
"Everyone has a fear, my friend. Even you."  
  
Legolas looked at the ranger and walked to him. He grabbed his shoulders and the ranger stared back sullenly.  
  
"My only fear is that she will be hurt."  
  
"I know."  
  
"I don't know what to do, Aragorn. How will I…? When…?" Legolas paced the rocks, not knowing what to do. Aragorn understood completely.  
  
"You must tell her!"  
  
"No! I will not!"  
  
"How do you know she's not experiencing the same emotion for you?" Aragorn asked. Legolas stopped. He didn't want to think of that, for it would surely drive him to insanity.  
  
"It's impossible. She always stays away and with good reason! I can barely control it! Why would she want someone who not in control?!"  
  
"I don't believe she cares if you are or not! Rachel is different from all others. What she feels is different from all others. Remember that," Aragorn nearly whispered. Legolas could barely keep himself from running back to the camp and wrapping Rachel in his arms again. He told Aragorn this.  
  
"Then you should, but only when you think it's right. She may be the one who decides. Who's in control. It may be her. Do not be afraid of what is in your nature to do, Legolas," Aragorn encrypted. Legolas nodded, not quite understanding, but when he looked at the gun in his hands, he understood that Rachel wasn't made of steel. She was as fragile as a flower. 


	24. Clues Are Left

Disclaimer: Yippee! That ouch! (I have too much time on my hands. That's a quote from the Fairly Odd Parents on Nickelodeon. I'm twenty seven, damnit! Why can't I find another hobby other than watching cartoons?!)  
  
A/N: pages.ivillage.com/fanfiction_n_stuff/  
  
  
  
Time: Clues Are Left  
  
  
  
The orcs made them run fast. Run hard. Holly was nearly dead, or so the hobbits thought. She was merely biding her time. It wasn't the first time she was a prisoner of war, but the arrow wound on her stomach was almost unbearable. All well, being tickled was still the worst pain in the world, right?  
  
An orc punch hard in the ribs. She was slowing down. Pippin and Merry, who were being carried, cried out her name. She coughed and held her side, groaning.  
  
"Maybe not," she told herself. An orc flashed his wicked grin and bent sword at the woman, and Holly decided it would be a good idea to pick up the pace. They had been running for nearly two days. The orcs had carried her the first day and a half, but when she started fidgeting, they threw her down and told her to run.  
  
An idea popped into her head when Pippin was thrown down beside her. The clasp on his cloak…  
  
"Pippin, run into the woods over there and throw your little leafy thingy on the ground. Got it?" she whispered in his ear. Pippin looked at her with terror.  
  
"Are you mad?!"  
  
"They won't kill you, trust me. They aren't allowed to. Now, I'll push this big, fat, lug over and you run that way, okay?" she told him in a voice that said if Pippin didn't do it on his own, she would make him do it anyway. He gulped and nodded. Holly smiled and pulled the clasp away from his neck and handed it to him.  
  
"Ready?" she asked, getting into a position to body slam the guy next to her.  
  
"No."  
  
"Too bad. NNIIIIIEEEEEEE!!!!!!!" she screamed and knocked the orc beside her over. Pippin leaped over them and ran blindly into the woods. He dropped the clasp in the grass beside the path right before he was picked up again by an orc. He was punched in the back by another and knocked out. Holly was slapped hard in the face and told never to try something like that again.  
  
"You understand me, bitch?!" yelled an orc overseer. Holly nodded and kept running. They definitely weren't going to give her a free ride now. 


	25. Misery

Disclaimer: Gobbit hoblins!!!! (Trust me, you don't wanna know.)  
  
A/N: pages.ivillage.com/fanfiction_n_stuff/  
  
  
  
1 Time: Misery  
  
The orcs stopped for the night after a particularly large quarrel. They sat at the edge of Fangorn. Holly was thinking, yet again, of ways to escape or leave clues.  
  
"Why did you do that?!" Merry yelled at Holly. He thought of her as an older sister even though she was extremely immature. (He's one to talk.) Holly was bleeding profusely and Pippin had an outrageous headache. Merry was suffering from a concussion and a gash on his arm, but Holly was undoubtedly the worse off.  
  
"Trust me. Aragorn will find it," she told him. Merry nearly cried out. He had lost hope, but Pippin hadn't…he just kept his mouth shut.  
  
"How do you know for sure?!"  
  
"Because he's a ranger!"  
  
"What difference should that make?! How do you know he's not dead?!"  
  
"Because!"  
  
"Because what?!"  
  
"Because!"  
  
"Tell us!"  
  
"Do you have to know everything?" Holly asked quietly. Rachel would die before she let anyone else. Holly just hoped that happened.  
  
"Yes. What makes you so certain?" Merry asked sternly. He wasn't yelling anymore.  
  
"Rachel wouldn't let that happen. But…Boromir," Holly cried. She was really crying and staring hopelessly at the ring on her wedding finger. What had happened to him? She felt four small hands embrace her in a comforting hug. Pippin and Merry were crying too.  
  
At that moment, an orc pulled them apart and shoved some horrible substance down each of their throats. They nearly let it come back up.  
  
"Shit, that tastes bad!" Holly yelled. The arrow wound on her abdomen was stinging and then she realized that they gave them medicine.  
  
"I'm sorry, Holly. I'm so sorry," Merry said, sobbing. Pippin watched him a few moments before bringing back a few good memories.  
  
"Remember Gandalf's fireworks? And when Holly knocked Boromir to the ground?" he said. The others laughed. It was helping. Holly gave him a kiss on the cheek and Merry slapped him on the back. Things were looking up for all of them. Perhaps Peregrin Took wasn't luggage after all. 


	26. Forget Me Nots: The Lovers' Thoughts

Disclaimer: "Chapter four." (Inside joke….BIG inside joke. Let's just say that one of my friends types profanity in her sleep. Hehehe.)  
  
A/N: pages.ivillage.com/fanfiction_n_stuff/  
  
  
  
Time: Forget Me Nots: The Lovers' Thoughts  
  
Boromir:  
  
I love you, Holly. You are my nourishment. My water. I need you as much as I need air. Just as the flower can't live without the Sun, I can't live without you and if you are truly gone, I would be dead. This is why you are still alive…somewhere. Rachel and Aragorn say they know where to look. They know you'll be alright.  
  
I'm a disgrace. I can't fight. I can barely run anymore, but I will for you. Rachel has put my arm in a "sling," as she calls it. To stop infection. But I've already gotten an infection. I fell in love. With you, I can soar. I can't and won't let you go.  
  
You suffer. I feel it. I know that you're intelligent. I know that you'll find a way. You'll survive. I'll survive…but only for you.  
  
~*~  
  
Holly:  
  
Boromir. My love. My vitality. I can't live without you. Your pulse makes my heart beat. Your breath makes my lungs contract. The ring around my finger means nothing to me. Gondor…who needs it? I need you. I love you.  
  
You said that I should stay put and let you die. I'm a soldier. I'm not going to stand and watch. I broke my promise to you, but I'm not sorry. I saved you.  
  
This pain is intolerable. My heart is about to burst with worry. Are you alive? Has Rachel kept her promise to never let another man she fights beside die? I hope she hasn't broken any promises.  
  
The pain. My abdomen is numb, but my heart is not. My stomach is a tangled mess. Every time I look at the bloody swords in the orcs' hands, I feel likely to vomit. I need you. If your face is drained of blood, what will I do? I don't know…I just don't know…  
  
A/N: Obviously, this is for you Holly/Boromir fans…I don't seem to talk about them as much…all well! Here it is for ya! Tell me…should I do the same thing for Rachel/Legolas? You tell me! 


	27. Warm Embrace

Disclaimer: Why do you people even ask???  
  
A/N: Okay…probably the only thing that's stayin' up on my site is the gallery, so check it out if ya' want to. I just don't have time. There's this little thing called work and it gets in my way all the time.  
  
  
  
Time: Warm Embrace  
  
  
  
Rachel listened carefully, but she could only hear murmurs from Aragorn and Legolas. She realized that she was hoping for them to be talking about her (which they were) and shook her head, hitting herself in the forehead repeatedly with her fist. Gimli and Boromir would have found it comical except for the earlier events. Despite himself, Boromir had to smile.  
  
"I feel pity for you, really, I do," he told her. She turned around and glared at him. She was still shaking and it showed when she stood up again. As a matter of fact, she had to sit back down again.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because you love him so," Boromir explained simply. Rachel growled.  
  
"Who are you to analyze my emotions? You're nothing but a love- sick…puppy!" Rachel said, not knowing what words to use.  
  
"It takes one to know one."  
  
"Wargs…My father had a run-in with the like when he traveled with Bilbo. Gandalf entertained them with quite a show of flaming wolf tails and their horrible howling!" Gimli said in an attempt to get the others off subject, trying to lighten the load on Rachel and Boromir. Boromir was like Holly…if he was troubled, he preferred to laugh.  
  
Legolas and Aragorn walked back into the camp. The ranger sat on the opposite side of the fire from Rachel and the elf stood restless in a corner of the fire light. He seemed stricken.  
  
"You should sleep, Rachel," Aragorn said, polishing his blade with a small cloth. She nodded and grabbed a blanket and her pack. Perhaps…no. They would find her way too far out of character if she asked for one of them to stay beside her.  
  
"Do you need something?" he asked. Rachel had stopped in the middle of moving and was staring at him, her mouth open. She closed it promptly and shook her head.  
  
"Never mind."  
  
"What do you wish?"  
  
"It's stupid," she laughed quietly. Aragorn stared at her. Gimli stared at her. Legolas stared at her (not that he's never done that before). Boromir was snoring, obviously asleep.  
  
"No request is folly," Aragorn assured. Rachel sat there, sighed, and decided that they wouldn't leave her alone until she told them, so she lied.  
  
"I was hoping that the fire would be lit all night?" she asked. Indeed, she did want to know, but it wasn't what she had been wanting to inquire.  
  
"I'm afraid not. Don't fret. We shall watch over the camp," he told her. Rachel wasn't very comforted by that, but decided that sleep was needed. Soon, she was in a restless sleep.  
  
"Aragorn, you should rest as well. I will keep watch," Legolas said to the ranger. Gimli and Boromir were long asleep and Rachel was apparently having nightmares. Aragorn nodded and leaned up against a boulder. He too fell quiet.  
  
"Don't worry about Rachel," he said, a faint smile on his face. Aragorn didn't even open his eyes when he said it.  
  
"How can I not?"  
  
"Fine."  
  
Aragorn was asleep moments later and Legolas found himself staring at a struggling Rachel. He tried to look away, but he couldn't. She whimpered and sweat beads covered her forehead. Legolas sighed and snuffed out the fire. He could still see her plainly.  
  
"Legolas?" Rachel said, barely audible. He walked to her, checking to see if she was asleep or not. She talked in her sleep?  
  
"Yes?" he asked in a constricted whisper. He moved closer and knelt beside her. She seemed incredibly pale.  
  
"No!" Rachel screamed. Legolas knelt even closer to her, feeling her breath upon his face. He put a hand to her face and gently slid it down her cheek. So beautiful.  
  
"You're not dead," she stated, not asleep anymore. Legolas jerked away without making a sound.  
  
"I…" Legolas began. Rachel sat up and looked him in the eyes, making his voice catch.  
  
"I thought there for a moment…"  
  
"My heart still beats," Legolas said. He knew it did only because of its fluttering in his throat. Rachel nodded. She was still paranoid. Did she even notice his hand on her face when she awoke?  
  
"Alright. You…" Rachel cut short and put a hand to her cheek. It still tingled from his touch.  
  
"Your voice spoke my name," he told her. He seemed pained. What about her caused him so much pain?  
  
"I'm sorry," Rachel said. She lay back down on the ground so frightened that she could feel herself wanting to hyperventilate. Legolas put a hand on her shoulder. She relaxed immediately.  
  
"Would you prefer me to stay near?" he asked quietly. Rachel's heart skipped. She nodded and Legolas sat down beside her. He leaned against the cliff wall behind them and bent one of his knees.  
  
Rachel pondered her behavior…  
  
Why can't I just make a move? I'm a chicken shit. Forget about the battles I've been in, I'm a wuss to the core. Okay, maybe I should just go for it…  
  
…Rachel turned her head and looked at Legolas. He seemed to be sleeping. He wasn't. He only stared into the darkness before him. Rachel rolled over.  
  
"Legolas?" she questioned cautiously. He turned to look at her. She lay in the most seductive position he had ever seen. She was on her side with a palm holding her head up and the other falling along her hips. His eyes were wide.  
  
"Y-yes?" he asked. Rachel looked at him with confusion. He seemed to be more frightened than she, but all well.  
  
"Could…could I do something really quickly?" she asked. It was a corny idea, but it was driving her insane, so why not fix it?  
  
"Of course."  
  
Rachel sat beside Legolas and put a hand on his jaw line. His stomach jumped as she gently tilted his head away from her. It wasn't the direction he wanted her to tilt his head, but her next movement made up for it more than enough.  
  
During his scuffle with the warg, Legolas' braid was dislodged. Rachel undid his braid slowly. Legolas fought back the urge to purr (elves do that when they're happy ^_^) and closed his eyes. When Rachel's hands reached his ears, Legolas gasped (elven hot spot). Rachel retracted her hands quickly.  
  
"Did I hurt you?" she asked, oblivious. Legolas shook his head. Rachel reached back up to his ear and much to Legolas' surprise, he did purr. The elf tried with all his might to stop and when he did, he apologized.  
  
"Sorry for what?"  
  
Rachel hadn't even noticed. She ran a finger through his hair lovingly. It sent shock waves through Legolas' scalp and he shuddered. Closing his eyes again, he leaned into her working hands. Soon, the braid was complete.  
  
"Thank you," Legolas whispered sincerely. He looked at her and she smiled. They sat, contemplating what might happen when a howl made Rachel practically jump into Legolas' grip.  
  
"Sorry…" she said, embarrassed. Legolas didn't move. He held her there, in his lap, afraid that if she moved, he would erupt. Unable to speak, he nodded his head slightly. His purring was very prominent and Rachel could hear it. Luckily for Legolas, she thought a warg was growling nearby.  
  
"Will they…?" she began. Legolas knew what she wanted to ask.  
  
"No…no, they won't try to…attack. We've frightened them too much," he said in her ear. Rachel shivered in his grasp. He felt it. Could it be that she…? No…it was impossible.  
  
"Are you alright, Legolas?" she asked. He nodded, gulping. She had no clue.  
  
"I could not feel…more alive," he told her in her ear. Again, she shivered. It was almost too much to bear. It was torture. No terrorist had caused her this much torment. If only he would…  
  
"I'm sorry…" she said again. This time, she slid off of Legolas' lap and both were met with immeasurable coldness.  
  
"Do not apologize," Legolas said, obviously depressed. He leaned back against the cliff. She didn't feel the same. Why would she embrace the cold instead of him if she did? Rachel turned her back to him and curled her feet upward. Legolas sat, watching her breathe and sleep and sigh and toss and turn until he had to blink. Why this woman? What made Aragorn so sure she felt the same way?  
  
Rachel was asleep. Maybe not everything about elves had become a part of her yet, but she definitely slept.  
  
"Rachel," Legolas said, tasting her name upon his tongue. A shuffle beside him made Legolas snap his head in that direction.  
  
"Rest, Legolas. I will stand watch," Gimli said. Legolas nodded, but knew the dwarf couldn't see it in the immense darkness. He lay on his back, then thought better of it. Rachel had turned toward him in her dreams and she seemed more troubled then ever before. Legolas turned on his side and ran his hand along her jaw. Again, she became calm and sighed, not wanting him to leave her even in dreams.  
  
"Nin mel le," Legolas said in her ear. Asleep, she quaked. The dwarf was too busy finding a comfortable place to sit to hear Legolas tell Rachel's sleeping form "I love you." Legolas leaned down and gave Rachel a small kiss on the forehead.  
  
Even that nearly destroyed him. He lay against the cliff once again, convulsing from the desire. Nearly…unbearable…  
  
  
  
A/N: I know that was probably the corniest chapter in this story, but I had no ideas, so I typed and that's what my demented, sick, pathetic mind threw at my fingers. I hope you enjoyed my twisted idiocy! 


	28. For The Love Of Women

Disclaimer: Do I need one of these? Really, I'm serious. Do I need one? I don't think I do.  
  
A/N: I don't really have anything to say at this point except for it's late, the Riders of Rohan are horny as hell, and I need sleep.  
  
Time: For The Love Of Women  
  
  
  
The next morning, every one packed up their things and Rachel once again grabbed Boromir's pack. It seemed a little bit heavier then the day before and she decided that she definitely deserved a trip to her chiropractor, but she wouldn't say a wo—  
  
"Hey!" she yelled as Aragorn pulled the pack and shield off her shoulders. She was relieved, but pissed. He didn't think she could handle it.  
  
"We split the weight," he told her, handing Legolas the pack and keeping the shield for himself. Rachel sat patiently, waiting for her share of the weight, but it never came.  
  
"What am I going to carry?" she asked irritably. Gimli, who the entire time had never carried a bag, picked hers up and Boromir stood awkwardly. Rachel gawked at them.  
  
"Nothing. You'll assist Boromir," Aragorn told her. Rachel was furious. She wasn't a school girl wanting a jock to carry her damn books. She let them know it too.  
  
"Mattaka no baka!" she yelled at them. Basically, she called them all damned fools in Japanese. She opened the zipper on her pack roughly and, still cursing in various languages, she produced from it a holster for two fire arms, her guns, two extra clips, and her daggers. Then she also strapped on her bow and quiver. Everyone waited for her to finish.  
  
"Tu es muy stupido y loco! Tu comprende? Hay caramba!" she yelled in Aragorn's face. He raised his eyebrows and shrugged to the others. Rachel sighed and stood sluggishly beside Boromir, offering him a hand if he needed it. They set off in the direction of a tall tower of black smoke in the plains of Rohan.  
  
  
  
"Stop! Which are these riders? Are they friend or foe?" Aragorn pondered. Legolas and Rachel stood on a nearby rock, peering into the distance as at least one hundred horsemen galloped in their direction. Legolas jumped down to speak to Aragorn. Although the thought of Rachel was tempting, this was more pressing.  
  
"They are the Riders of Rohan. Should we welcome them?" he asked. Aragorn looked at Gimli and the uncomfortable Boromir sitting on a rock and shook his head.  
  
"You four hide along the road. I'll greet them," he instructed. Rachel didn't move. She was still watching the Riders approach. They were less than two miles off now.  
  
"Rachel. What are you doing?" Boromir asked. Aragorn stood in the middle of the road and the others lay down in a ditch. Rachel still stared at the Riders.  
  
"Rachel?" Gimli said. Legolas watched her.  
  
"I can actually see the whites of their eyes! This is so awesome!" she yelled. Childish glee overcame her and she laughed. This was too good to be true for her. She did not have the best eye sight in the world and to be able to read a newspaper from two miles off was unreal. Also, imagine what it would do to her tracking and spying capabilities!  
  
A hand pulled her into the ditch when the Riders were about three hundred yards off. Rachel was fascinated. You see, she had been riding horses her entire life. These were supposed to be the most beautiful horses ever in creation. Gimli and Boromir laughed. Legolas smiled ever so faintly. Rachel looked at them with innocent confusion. She honestly had no idea what was funny.  
  
"What?!"  
  
"The look on your face I wouldn't trade for all of Gondor!" Boromir guffawed. Rachel smirked mockingly and told them to shut up when the Riders approached.  
  
"Riders of Rohan!" Aragorn yelled to the passing horsemen. In a sweeping circle, their leader brought them around, forming a great circle around the ranger. Aragorn stood, kingly, in the center of the commotion. Gimli and Boromir had to hold Rachel back from saying "hello" to the horses.  
  
"We did not see you! How is it you avoided our site?" a particularly handsome man said. He had to be the leader. If Rachel remembered correctly, his name was Èomer. She decided that it was time to be serious and her "mission" face was on again. She put the hood up on her cloak. She had been really laid back in the past few days. Aragorn bowed his head and showed his cloak.  
  
"Gifts from the Lady of the Wood. I have companions," he said, looking at us. We stood and walked into the circle. Èomer put a hand to his forehead.  
  
"An elf, a man, a dwarf and a woman! I have no words!" he joked. Rachel remembered dwarves and elves only being a legend in Rohan. She doubted they had women fighters either. She understood they were laughing about them when Èomer's soldiers began chuckling as well. Rachel stepped forward.  
  
"Excuse me, Èomer, son of Èomund, but we're real beings and I don't appreciate your smirking!" she yelled at him. The Riders stopped immediately and Èomer dismounted from his horse. He walked to Rachel and grabbed her chin. She gave him an icy stare.  
  
"How did you know my name, witch?" he asked with a lethal tone.  
  
"I'm no witch. I'm a soldier. Now get your hands off of me or so help me—"  
  
"What would you do?" he asked, rubbing his thumb along her cheek. Something pulled Èomer off Rachel roughly. Legolas stood in front of her and the Rider laughed.  
  
"I did not realize that she was so important! Do accept my apology, but I don't understand how a woman could be considered your companion!" he confessed, arms raised in surrender. Boromir held Rachel back as she nearly punched the Rider in the jaw. Aragorn looked at her furiously.  
  
"I'm afraid she is temperamental, but, and do forgive me for saying this, she is a far better warrior then anyone in your troop. She knows of skills none of Middle-Earth has learned of. Do not anger her further," Aragorn pleaded. Èomer smiled and bowed pleasantly to Rachel. She nearly spat at him.  
  
"I'm sorry, my lady. I had no idea you were a soldier!" he cried. Rachel growled.  
  
"Do the weapons I carry mean nothing to you?!"  
  
"Again, forgive me. Please, your names!" the Rider asked. Aragorn nodded and looked at Boromir who let Rachel go. She jerked away from him and stood, staring at Èomer, waiting for him to say one thing wrong.  
  
"I am Gimli, son of Gloin the dwarven ruler of Moria."  
  
"I am Legolas, son of Thranduil the elven king of Mirkwood."  
  
"I am Boromir, son of Denethor the Steward of Gondor."  
  
"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn the king of Gondor."  
  
The men bowed and waited for Rachel to give over her name. Gimli hit her in the ribs and she jumped, sighed, and rolled her eyes.  
  
"I am Rachel ConawayBennison, leader of the elite Marines corps, Scorpions."  
  
"I had no idea we had such dignified men…and lady…in our midst!" Èomer exclaimed. He bowed and many of his followers nodded their heads.  
  
"You have no clue who I am…how do you know I'm dignified? And Gimli and Legolas are just legends to you! How do you know them?!" Rachel interrogated loudly. Èomer faltered. He wasn't quite sure, himself.  
  
"Indeed, I have no clue what a Marine is. And, yes, dwarves and elves are just legends to me. You are a legend to me, my lady. Though, you are as much a beauty as a mystery in my mind," Èomer whispered. Legolas' ear twitched. He didn't like this, but Rachel could take care4 of herself…maybe. She got a little bit too carried away when men did the whole "I'm going to impress you with my dominance and ego" thing.  
  
"Am I suppose to thank you?" Rachel asked sarcastically. The Riders laughed.  
  
"I'm sorry, we have been away from home for a long while. The site of a woman is a welcome one. What, pray tell, is a Marine? Certainly not an elven or dwarven group for you are neither!"  
  
"No, it's not. Human, actually. And I used to be such," Rachel said, smiling. She drew back her cloak and was welcomed by gasps. Èomer looked upon her with new awe. Her ears and gold-red hair shone beautifully in the afternoon light.  
  
"A surprise, to be sure!"  
  
"In any matter, we have a wounded friend, Boromir," Aragorn began. Èomer looked at him and nodded, but still glanced at Rachel. Legolas came to her side protectively. Nothing, especially a Rider of Rohan…especially this Èomer, was going to touch her ever again.  
  
"You do."  
  
"First, before more is spoken, do you serve the Dark Lord, Sauron?" Gimli asked. Èomer shook his head.  
  
"We serve only the Mark of Rohan and he does not mingle with the Dark Lord. After our finest horses were tortured nearly to death and are now the beasts of the black, cloaked figures, we despise Mordor. We conduct no business there," Èomer said truthfully. One thing good about him.  
  
"Friends, you are then. I have a favor to ask of you," Aragorn said, looking at Boromir.  
  
"Anything I may do," Èomer said, bowing again. Rachel sighed and rolled her eyes. He was really getting on her nerves. The lecherous little…  
  
"Spare us horses and let Boromir ride home with you. He needs to be healed for he was shot with an orc's bow not more than three days ago," Aragorn asked. Èomer whistled and four horses walked forward.  
  
"Four of our men were killed, sadly, but these will be the horses you may use. Be sure that these beasts return to Rohan, for it is my skull the Mark will crush if you do not!"  
  
Rachel helped Boromir onto a horse, making it kneel on its haunches for him. She found a particularly beautiful, black stallion to ride herself.  
  
"My lady! I would not ride that beast if I were you!"  
  
"And why not?"  
  
"He is the son of Shadowfax, the Mark's stallion, and the only out of ten steeds to return from Mordor. Mordil is his name and it suits him well," Èomer smirked. Rachel returned the motion. Mordil meant the Dark One and he did have the red eyes and black coat to match those of the Ringwraiths. Still, Rachel approached him and when he reared in protest to her touch, she didn't move. Legolas watched in wonder. Even he would turn away from that animal.  
  
"A name and a past mean nothing to me. Mordil, I will ride."  
  
A/N: I know that was a lot of chit-chat, four pages worth really, but I had to stop there. The next chapter has more yakity-yak in it, so be patient! More action and romance comin' up I a few chapters, I promise! 


	29. The Taming Of Mordil

Disclaimer: Ummm….I don't own anything and I can't think of a smart-ass comment to put here instead of an actual disclaimer.  
  
A/N: Okay…more talking, almost no action, this chapter really sucks just like the chapter before it. Don't kill me!!!  
  
Time: The Taming of Mordil  
  
  
  
"I assure you, this is a mistake! Even I cannot ride Mordil! The Mark's son was the only one with legs strong enough!" Èomer shouted at Rachel. She snorted and grabbed Mordil's reins. He definitely was a beast. His shoulders were almost higher than her head.  
  
Again, Mordil reared. He nearly stomped down on Rachel's head, making everyone near her gasp in fear. It was then that Rachel understood…this horse had to be overpowered, not comforted. In a series of lunges, Rachel pulled the saddle off of the stallion's back.  
  
"You think I can't ride Mordil? Guess again!" Rachel yelled as she swung her legs up onto his back. He reared immediately, but that was predictable. With a stern push forward, the elf knocked him back onto the ground again. Mordil was surprised, but didn't stop. He bucked repeatedly. Rachel pulled back on his reins…a horse can't buck if its head is back. Mordil began spinning around in circles. That would surely throw this lady off, but no. Almost, but no.  
  
"Shit!" Rachel yelled. She was hanging on to the barrel of the horse (its side) and used all her strength to pull herself back up. Mordil was tired and shocked. He stopped for a moment before rearing once more. Rachel made a gruff yell that told him she was in charge now. Even his former master didn't have so much power! He immediately put his hooves on the ground and bowed his head.  
  
"Astounding!" Èomer laughed. He bowed lower than ever to Rachel. She was incredible…  
  
"As I said…I will ride Mordil," Rachel panted. That had taken a lot out of her, but it was fun. She wondered how fast Mordil could gallop…  
  
"I must return to Gondor," Boromir said a few seconds later. Èomer nodded.  
  
"I will make certain that you do so after you are healed in the house of Rohan."  
  
"Thank you for lending these horses to us. I will make sure they are returned," Aragorn said, bowing. He looked at Rachel and smiled. She really was something. To tame a beast of Rohan was definitely an accomplishment. She smiled back and clicked at Mordil. He kneeled and let her dismount from his back without protest. He liked her and nudged her shoulder. Rachel laughed.  
  
"You look the worse for wear, Èomer. Have you fought?" Aragorn sked suspiciously. Èomer nodded. He pointed to the smoke in the plains not far off.  
  
"Orcs of a kind we've never seen. Day travelers. We destroyed them, but a small number of them escaped toward Isenguard," he told Aragorn. Rachel wasn't smiling and laughing anymore. She walked forward and looked Èomer in the eyes. He stared solemnly back.  
  
"Was there another woman with them? Or small men, hobbits?" she asked. Èomer nodded.  
  
"A woman, but no hobbits. You are strange travelers indeed!" Èomer said to himself. Holly was on her way to see Saurumon…  
  
"Damn! Was she alive?" she asked again.  
  
"Yes…very much so. She slew a few orcs herself. Used a blade, very small and swift, but unbreakable. I would have like to save her," Èomer replied sadly. Rachel was disgusted. She knew how he wanted to "save her." Holly was alive…that was a good thing. She already knew the hobbits were alive.  
  
"Did you slay any hobbits yourself?" Aragorn asked. Rachel put a hand to his chest.  
  
"They're alive…"  
  
"How can you be sure?"  
  
"Trust me…" Rachel said, staring at the smoke tower. Aragorn nodded. This was going to be interesting. Fangorn was their next stop…  
  
"You will trust her word?" Èomer said, amazed. Gimli stepped forward.  
  
"She knows more about this journey then anyone! She knows more than any of you!" he stated loudly. He had come to see Rachel as a daughter and Holly the same. He was extremely proud of them.  
  
"I suppose so," Èomer said. He gazed admiringly at Rachel and then glared at Legolas, who stood by her side once more.  
  
"We must leave…" Legolas said, never taking his eyes from Èomer. Aragorn nodded and began adjusting the saddle on another stallion. Legolas did the same.  
  
"I hope we meet again, my lady," Èomer said to Rachel. She snapped her head in his direction and he approached her, grinning.  
  
"Funny…'cause I don't," she retorted. Èomer smiled and sighed sarcastically.  
  
"Do you really despise me so?" he asked in an airy voice.  
  
"Yes. You are worse than Haldir. He's an angel compared to you," Rachel contemplated aloud. Before she knew what happened, Èomer lifted her hand gently and kissed it, never taking his eyes from hers. Her hand was delicate, but not without power. It tasted of fire cinders and wood…a taste Èomer liked.  
  
"I'm sorry to hear that. I wish to have another meeting with you in the near future, my fair. Please, don't be as stone to me then…I couldn't bear it," Èomer said to her quietly. Rachel smiled pleasantly. He was really getting on her nerves.  
  
"Then I won't, my dear gentleman," she jerked her hand away from his and practically snarled, "I'll be like steel just from the oven."  
  
"I look forward to such a heat. I would gladly let you seer my flesh," Èomer said in her ear. Her ear twitched and she growled in his. She could hear him gulp and he back away slightly, bowed and mounted his horse once again.  
  
"Farewell, my fairest. Farewell, friends! I bid you adieu!" he yelled. His men and he rode away and Legolas approached Rachel. She was boiling.  
  
"Are you alright?" he asked her. Rachel calmed herself with some difficulty and looked at Legolas. He was wonderful…worrisome, but wonderful.  
  
"I'm fine. It's just that son of a bitch. He chills me to the core!" Rachel yelled. Mordil came to her side and she scratched his withers absently. Legolas nodded and looked at Mordil.  
  
"How did you tame him?"  
  
"I've ridden for years…sixteen, I think. He was no different from my stallion at home," Rachel said. She rubbed one of his ears and the horse bent into her hand. Legolas watched in awe.  
  
"These men have been riding their entire lives and even they could not ride him!" Legolas said to her. Rachel smiled and looked at him.  
  
"Sometimes, Legolas, you can't treat horses like princes. And sometimes you have to be a woman."  
  
A/N: That last comment is so true, isn't it??? 


	30. Pondering

Disclaimer: The boogie man has come to visit…and IT is standing outside my window…  
  
A/N: Sorry about the last chapter…I forgot to use my spell check.  
  
Time: Pondering  
  
  
  
As they rode, Rachel produced something from a pocket in her cloak. It was a small clasp, much like the ones Galadriel had given the Fellowship. She knew it was one of the hobbit's. She also knew it was meant to be found by Aragorn, but it would have worried him more. Rachel put it back in her pocket and sighed. Merry and Pippin were alive.  
  
"Rachel!" Aragorn yelled. She snapped out of her thoughts and raised herself just in time to jump a large creek.  
  
"Are you alright?" Aragorn yelled a few minutes later. Rachel smiled and asked Mordil to gallop top speed.  
  
"Why does everyone ask me that?!" she called over her shoulder. Butterflies jumped in her stomach…Fangorn was close. Sauron was close…Maybe she could ring his neck when he showed himself…  
  
"She has spunk!" Gimli yelled at Legolas. Aragorn heard and nodded along with the elf.  
  
"That she does, my friend!" Aragorn shouted. The three men watched her speed across the plains. A wild woman accompanied by a wild horse.  
  
A/N: Hehehe…Don't you hate these really short chapters? 


	31. More Thoughts

Disclaimer: My cat will kill you and my dog will eat your enemy…  
  
A/N: Sorry…they're supposed to meet Saruman…I'm not sure if I put Sauron in one of the other chapters, but a review seemed to say I did. I meant Saruman.  
  
Time: More Thoughts  
  
  
  
Fangorn.  
  
Legolas dismounted his horse and led it to a nearby stream. Aragorn also put his feet on the ground and laughed when Gimli jumped off and waddled beside his companions. Rachel was still riding Mordil through the plains. She had to think.  
  
"Don't stray too far!' Aragorn yelled after her. Rachel didn't even hear him, but stopped Mordil beside a large boulder on the edge of the wood. The beast lay beside her and grazed quietly. How could anyone find him to be harmful?  
  
"He'll be here tonight, Mordil. I can feel it," Rachel said. She loaded a clip into her gun and sat there, in the tall grass. It was so beautiful. She wondered if she would ever be able to leave this place when the time came…  
  
Rachel couldn't stand to think of such uncertainties anymore. She did, however, know that Mordil had a basic understanding of what she said…elven power? Maybe…then again, it could just be the horse. She put a hand on his barrel and he looked at her expectantly.  
  
"Take the other horses back to Rohan tonight," she instructed. He nodded his head and lay it back down on his hoof. Maybe he really did understand. That made Rachel feel more secure, and she'd need that feeling tonight. Fangorn was covered in Wargs and a wondering Saruman and maybe…  
  
Leaving that unfinished, Rachel stood and left Mordil to graze in the plains. She had to get back to camp…it was nearly dusk.  
  
A/N: Hehehehe. Another short chapter to piss off you guys…you love me, though, don't you?! 


	32. Fire and Blood

Disclaimer: Chicken Noodle Soup for the Demented Soul…yeah, they should make one called that…  
  
A/N: Hehehe…more action…especially for you Holly fans.  
  
Time: Fire and Blood  
  
  
  
"Rachel, could you gather some firewood?" Aragorn asked. Rachel nodded and began picking twigs and branches from the forest floor. Gimli nearly broke a limb from a tree, but Rachel smacked him on the head.  
  
"Fangorn is ancient…the trees aren't exactly friendly, either," she said to him. He gulped, nodded and hurriedly took his armful of wood back to camp. Rachel laughed. Gimli really was funny. Dwarves.  
  
"Rachel…" a voice called. She stopped smiling, dropped her bundle on the ground and spun, trying to locate the whisper. Deciding that it wasn't a good idea to stick around anymore, she left and headed back for camp.  
  
The path was dark…if there even was a path. Even with her elven sight, she couldn't see more than a foot in front of her face. A branch snapped above her head and she began running. A small animal laughed…or whinnied…or something. Rachel was freaked out. She remembered why she hated Fangorn in the books. It was too strange for even her.  
  
She ran into something warm and was knocked backwards. It too fell.  
  
"Rachel?" Legolas' voice called.  
  
"Legolas?" Rachel's voice replied. They stood…Legolas had no idea how glad the woman was to see him.  
  
"Something wrong? Where were you?" he asked her. He could barely see her. She seemed out of breath. Had she been running?  
  
"I'm okay. I just got lost. Umm…where's camp?" she inquired. Legolas pointed to his left.  
  
"There."  
  
"Sorry, but I can't see worth shit right now," Rachel confessed. Legolas collected himself and took her hand. It was the only thing he could think of to do at the time…well, not the only thing. The logical thing…the right thing.  
  
"This way," he said, pulling her towards the faint gleam of firelight. Of course…Rachel wasn't completely an elven lady yet. Even Legolas had a hard time seeing the others. Fangorn was definitely a dark place.  
  
"Where did you go?" Aragorn asked Rachel. He seemed pissed. How long had she been gone?  
  
"You've been missing for nearly two hours!" Gimli shouted at her. He stood and pointed a finger at her chest. Rachel laughed. That was impossible!  
  
"Whatever you say, Father. I'll try to be back by curfew next time," Rachel teased. Gimli crossed his arms and nodded his head once before sitting back down on the ground. Rachel sighed and rolled her eyes. Aragorn smiled, relieved.  
  
"Sit. Dinner is served," Aragorn said. He pulled some elven bread, Lembas, from his pack. Rachel pulled out Holly's chocolate bar. She would certainly kill her for it, but who cares? This is something Rachel hadn't tasted in probably over a year…she didn't like chocolate very much, but it was definitely an energy booster. The others stared at it.  
  
"What is it you eat?" Legolas asked. He took a small bite of his bread and Rachel opened the Hershey's bar. Legolas could smell it.  
  
"Chocolate," Rachel said sourly. It didn't taste any better than when she left home. Yuck. She put it down beside her and Gimli looked at her strangely.  
  
"I've never tasted chocolate before," he contemplated. Rachel handed it to him.  
  
"Be my guest," she told him. He took it and popped a piece in his mouth gingerly.  
  
"This is delicious! How could you not love this?" Gimli exclaimed.  
  
Rachel and Aragorn laughed. Legolas smiled.  
  
"I only like natural foods, Gimli. That's processed and I think it tastes disgusting."  
  
Gimli shrugged. He had no clue what she was talking about and decided not to care. Rachel exchanged her chocolate, actually Holly's, for Gimli's Lembas and enjoyed that much more. Gimli, who was very happy, decided to tell a story or two.  
  
"I've heard that a man in a cloak roams these plains! Is that true, Aragorn?"  
  
"There are rumors. Some say it is Saruman who does this, but all they are are stories, Gimli," the ranger informed them. Gimli sat back and relaxed.  
  
Rachel, however, was getting prepared. Saruman should show up at any moment…  
  
"What are you doing, Rachel?" Aragorn said, looking at her strangely. She was pacing back and forth, looking to her right.  
  
"Waiting…"  
  
Nobody said anything. When Rachel said so, it probably was so. The others nearly held their breath. Whatever she was waiting for, it made her anxious and afraid. You could almost smell the fear.  
  
Rachel was worried. What if the bastard didn't show up? That would be a bad thing.  
  
A figure appeared directly in front of Rachel, as if challenging her guns. She shot it in the forehead, but it did nothing. A hallucination. Well, she wasn't going to waste bullets on that. The others were yelling and shouting at her to stay back. She couldn't hear them…Holly was at the figure's feet. She wasn't moving either.  
  
Rachel dropped her guns and ran forward in an attempt to kill Saruman. She knew that was him…He was testing her. Raising her fist, she lunged at him, but something grabbed her around the middle right before the wizard and Holly disappeared in a blinding flash of light.  
  
"No…" Rachel whispered. She searched the wood around her, but saw no sign of Saruman or Holly. She struggled against her captor and ended up elbowing him in the chin. She didn't care if it was Aragorn or Legolas (Gimli was too short), she would hurt them severely if they did that ever again. They let her fall forward and her hands landed in something warm and wet. Her hands were shaking horribly.  
  
"Oh my God," she said to herself. Grabbing a gun from the ground, she began pumping bullets into the forest. Legolas pulled the gun away when it ran out of bullets. He felt the grip…it was wet. Bringing it into the firelight, everyone gasped.  
  
"Blood…"  
  
A/N: Good enough for you people?! 


	33. Break Down

Disclaimer: You wish…okay, so I don't know what you wish.  
  
A/N: Umm…in this chapter, gun control is a good thing.  
  
Time: Break Down  
  
  
  
Rachel didn't know what to do. Was Holly…? No, that was impossible! But then again…she had been saying that a lot lately.  
  
Aragorn watched Rachel. She was rocking back and forth, looking at the blood on the forest floor. She stared at her hands…covered in the crimson fluid. What could he ever say to her? Holly was important to them all, but…Rachel…He couldn't even begin to imagine.  
  
Legolas was the only one with guts in this situation. He was afraid to go near Rachel, but she needed…something to comfort her.  
  
"So much…so warm…" Rachel muttered to herself. She stood and walked into Legolas' hands. She didn't care if he loved her or not, he was warm and comfortable and strong. She didn't think she could hold herself up anymore, the guilt weighed down on her so much. He put an arm around her shoulder and guided her to a seat by the fire.  
  
"Rachel…" Gimli began. He sat down beside after a moment's hesitation and watched her eyes, unmoving, gawk at the blood on her hands. She didn't even seem to notice it any more, but just felt like staring. Legolas, who still held her, looked sorrowfully at Gimli. The dwarf sighed and bowed his head. Why would something so terrible happen to such a happy person as Holly? It wasn't right. It pissed Gimli off.  
  
"I'll keep watch tonight. He may come ba—"  
  
"He won't come back," Rachel said calmly. He never once took Holly's blood off her hands. She really had forgotten about its presence.  
  
"How can you be sure?" Gimli snarled. He reached for his axe, but stopped when Rachel put a bloody hand to her neck. She really had forgotten! She rocked back and forth again.  
  
"Rachel, do not fret. I'm sure Holly's alright. Saruman is, after all, a master of illusion," Aragorn said. He wasn't sure if it was true or not, but it seemed the right thing to say. Rachel laughed.  
  
"Don't lie. He's a wizard not a magician! And in any case, I don't think this is an illusion," Rachel said. Everyone thought she spoke of the blood, but something was concealed in her hand…dog tags…Holly's.  
  
"I'm so sorry," Aragorn whispered. Rachel looked at him…She lifted her head for the first time since…Anyway, her eyes were low-set, her jaw clenched. She stood and put Holly's dog tags on. Legolas watched her as she walked slowly toward a tree. She stood in front of it for a moment before screaming as loud as she could and kicking it with all the force she had. It nearly snapped like a twig. The tree swayed dangerously. Rachel didn't care about the living forest of Fangorn anymore. It could try to strangle her in her sleep for all she cared. She waited another moment before punching it rapidly. Dents formed on the trunk and so did blood. Her knuckles bled…her shins bruised…her voice echoed through the wood, making animals scurry in fright and trees bend away from her.  
  
"No! Let me kill it! Let me…" she yelled. Legolas held her back as he always did when the time was right. His arms were held fast around her stomach and she laughed.  
  
"Don't forget to sing," she said to herself. "Sing" was a term used in battle. Solarplexis. Instep. Nose, Groin. (A/N: For those of you who have seen Miss Congeniality…it's the same thing, but I'm not copying!) She delivered this tactic with lethal precision. She would have thought it would knock him off, but he was determined not to let her hurt herself anymore than she already did. She was strong, but he was stronger and had been hurt worse than that before.  
  
"Fine," Rachel said, pissed. She proceeded to flip him over her back. He lay on the ground, coughing. He wasn't expecting something like that. Rachel stared at him. She had really hurt him. Her stare turned into a worried gaze and she knelt beside Legolas.  
  
"I'm sorry," Rachel said to him. He put a hand to her face and then remembered the blood on her neck.  
  
"Let me help you wash this away," he told her. Rachel nodded. All the fight was gone in her. How could she hurt Legolas? Rage, that's how. She had spent at least ten minutes trying to kill a tree. She had wanted to kill it so bad and he wouldn't let her.  
  
Legolas sat up and got a small cloth from his pouch. He knelt beside her and wiped away the blood…or at least, all of it that hadn't dried. Aragorn and Gimli sat around the fire, watching concernedly. Aragorn glanced at the tree and noticed the damage the elf had caused. It was nearly barkless with huge dents and even a crack from her first kick. He had to grin. That's what happened when you inherited the immortality of the most powerful elf in Middle-Earth.  
  
"I will stay near tonight if you wish me to," Legolas said. Rachel looked at him. He was so…sensitive. Was he blushing? It didn't matter. She knew what she wanted.  
  
"No. I want you closer then that," Rachel said quietly. Legolas felt something burn in his chest. He knew he probably wouldn't be able to hold her without…  
  
Sighing, he shook his head.  
  
"I cannot."  
  
Rachel nearly burst into tears. He was the only one who protected her and calmed her down…She felt like she was going to burst into tears. She couldn't control it, and let a few silent tears escape her eyes.  
  
"Please? I feel so…vulnerable and guilty right now I doubt my own legs could hold me up. Please. I…I hate to admit it, but I can't take this anymore!"  
  
She completely lost control and cried, sobbed, babbled like a baby and all the while Legolas stared at her in shock.  
  
Gimli looked at her, his jaw slack. This was the last thing he thought he'd ever see. Rachel was crying! The world was coming to an end! Surely, hope was lost. Since their arrival, Rachel had been the strongest and equal to Aragorn and Legolas. Now she crumbled to pieces. When would the others do the same?  
  
"Please…Just…I don't know! Never mind…" Rachel sniffed. She made herself stop crying and stood up. She immediately fell back down. Legolas offered her a hand when he was on his feet, but she didn't take it right away. He looked down at her hands and saw the cut, bruised, and scraped knuckles.  
  
"You're wounded!" he yelled at her. Why was he so protective and yet so distant?  
  
"So?"  
  
"They should be healed," he said.  
  
"Thank you for stating the obvious," Rachel said bitterly. She crawled to her pack, which wasn't more than ten feet away and grabbed her alcohol, which was nearly empty, and a white piece of gauze. She sat, snuffling, rocking back and forth, and shaking as he poured the liquid on her hands. It made her yelp and Legolas cringed. Her pain, his ache and guilt.  
  
"Rachel, you sleep. You will not watch camp tonight," Aragorn said sternly. She hadn't planned on it anyway. Rachel settled herself against a fallen tree trunk and stared into the fire, unblinking. Was there any point to being here? Her first intent was to return home, but now…Maybe she should. If Holly really was…Well, Legolas didn't feel anything for her. The others would forget about them. There were people at home, too…  
  
  
  
Everyone was asleep except for Legolas. When did he ever sleep? He had no need for it.  
  
He looked at Rachel. Actually, no. He had been staring at her for two hours. She slept without movement. It was almost as if her nightmares were too terrible to express and he regretted his earlier notion to stay away from her. He had returned her physical blows on him with emotional ones. When she needed him the most, he refuse to be there for her and that was something he would never forgive himself for.  
  
"How could I?" he asked himself aloud. He reached over to her face and ran a light finger over her features. Her nose. Her cheeks. Her eyes. Her lips. She moved and he jerked away. Her eyes fluttered open and she stared at him. Her hand moved directly to her face. It tingled, almost as if it were asleep. Legolas peered at her and then toward the fire, sadly.  
  
"What do you need?" she asked him. Rachel didn't expect anything from him anymore. She shouldn't have in the first place. It was childish and stupid of her.  
  
"I regret my earlier judgement. I shall remain close to you," he said more to himself than to the woman before him. Rachel nodded.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Silence. Legolas gulped and his heart beat ran faster than ever before. Rachel could tell.  
  
"What worries you?' she asked.  
  
"Nothing except Holly and…" he choked.  
  
"And?"  
  
"Myself," he replied quickly, turning his head. Rachel reached up, cupped his cheek in her bandaged hand and pulled him towards her this time. She smiled despite her grief.  
  
"There's nothing wrong with you, Legolas. You're honest, sincere, and good," she said, reflecting on everything that she was not.  
  
"That's not what troubles me. A feeling. It's barely under my control. I'm afraid of what I might do," he confessed, looking straight into her eyes. He was trying to get he signal across, but Rachel was very dense when it came to love. It was her's never before.  
  
"Whether you have control or not, I'll make sure you don't do anything drastic," Rachel said, trying to comfort him. That make it worse. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  
  
"It's more than just a feeling, isn't it?" Rachel said. He nodded and opened his eyes. She wouldn't know…it may hurt her too much…Another worry she didn't need.  
  
"A reason why I was frightened to be near," he explained. Rachel bobbed her head and turned her head toward the fire. Legolas held out his hand for her. She didn't know what he was doing, but complied. He pulled her towards him and let her lay upon his chest. An immeasurable desire cascaded through him. This would be difficult, but it was her needs over his. Swallowing hard, he closed his eyes to gain control. He wouldn't let himself shake or purr. He wouldn't let her feel anything was wrong or needed, because she would want to help…and with those words, she would destroy him.  
  
A/N: Huh…that took longer than I thought it would to write. 


	34. Chains

Disclaimer: Never did get those stinkin' copy rite papers…  
  
A/N: I AM SO SORRY ABOUT THE LAST CHAPTER!!! THE GRAMMAR SUCKED!!! NEVER LET ME WRITE ANYTHING AT TWO IN THE MORNING AGAIN!!! Well…now that THAT'S over…on with the story…  
  
Time: Chains  
  
  
  
"Owie," Holly mumbled as she woke up. Trying to sit, she found her hands and feet in shackles. She was chained to the floor. A rat ran past her, only to eat a very large spider. Holly screamed, then congratulated the rat. She hated bugs.  
  
"You are awake," an intimidating voice said from in front of her. The woman seized up. This was not fun. Slowly, she struggled to lift her head up. A man in a "dress" with a very long beard stepped out from the shadows. Now, Holly had been tormented and captured plenty of times. This was nothing new…except for the chained-to-the-floor thing. She was perfectly relaxed.  
  
"Hello," she said. The man before her glared at her.  
  
"I have healed your wounds. Now you must answer questions," he said. Holly yawned. This whole torture thing was old. She stared at him, almost amused. He seemed so powerful, but not. He was disturbed…she could see that. Under someone else's thumb. When she served, not only did Holly do a lot of spying with Rachel as her right wing, but she was also the lie detector. Taking psychology in college was a good thing.  
  
"Your name?" he inquired. Holly tilted her head to the side.  
  
"My name is Bob. Now, let me ask you a question. Where the hell am I?!" Holly joked…kind of. A very large and creepy…umm…well, it was crawling towards her.  
  
"Bob. That is not your name," the man said after much thought. Holly laughed. A rock was digging into her spine and she moved a little bit to the left.  
  
"Naw shit, Sherlock. Who are you? Oh wait! Let me guess! You're…umm…you're Saruman! Yeah! That's it! The one with the freaky finger nails!" Holly said. She was serious, but with a headache. The only thing she remembered about Saruman, other than the fact that he looked a lot Gandalf (what was it with old men and beards anyway?), was that he had really funky nails. She used to joke about them all the time. Got in trouble for it once or twice in the barracks too…  
  
"I am Saruman," the wizard confirmed. "Now tell me who you are!"  
  
His voice rumbled and a few rocks fell from the walls. Holly rolled her eyes. She hated when people yelled at her.  
  
"Gee, I don't remember…I think I have a concussion. That's odd because I was just thrown around by your little Igor-look-alikes for the past three days!" Holly practically spat in his face. Saruman made the lights dim. He seemed to grow in size.  
  
"Tell me now!" he yelled. Holly's chest pounded from the echo of his voice. She wasn't about to loose her nerves. It would take a lot more than that. She sat, not even paying attention to him, but thought aloud instead.  
  
"You know, I always thought bad guys wore dresses. I guess you've confirmed that for me, Chief. Thanks a million! Now my life's complete!" Holly yelled dramatically.  
  
"When I return I want answers!" Saruman yelled. His face was nearly purple and shaking in rage as Holly kept babbling about how he had saved her humanity by wearing a dress during his interrogation. He roared and glided out of the stone door, slamming it shut behind him.  
  
"Well, he's no fun," Holly told herself. She sat, singing "It's a Small World After All." Soon, she put her hands into it was pretending to conduct a symphony. She even tapped her feet. Even though it was Middle- Earth, someone was always watching. Better drive them insane instead of yourself. Holly had memorized the entire song just for this purpose.  
  
A rock shuffled in the corner and Holly snapped her head in that direction. Again, spying abilities ruled. A small creature lay in the corner. It was a dog…or a wolf…or something.  
  
"Aw. Such a cute wittle puppy wuppy!" she shrieked. It whined. Holly noticed that it could barely walked. It was barely old enough to be away from its mother.  
  
"Hey, where is your mother anyway?" Holly asked him as it approached. He was so cute! Then, she noticed the large, unmoving heap of fur in the corner. The mother was dead.  
  
The pup began sucking on Holly's finger. It was hungry. She pushed her hip towards it and, eventually, it found her small, but plentiful supply of chocolate. The pup snarfed the milky substance down.  
  
"I know it's bad for dogs, but work with whatcha got, right?" she said to him. He barked and wagged his tail. She could tell that he was at least half wolf. Beautiful black coat with a bushy tail and sharp, but tiny fangs. Holly also saw his eyes…light blue. He was adorable.  
  
"A name, eh? Yes, you need one, don't you, hun? Umm…let's see. How about Mornie!"  
  
The puppy barked again and Holly laughed. It curled up on her stomach and scratched his ears. Holly was laughing…tickled.  
  
"Tickle bad! Tickle bad!" she screamed. The puppy looked at her and tilted his head. Holly knew that she still had one live friend left.  
  
A/N: Okay, so I'm trying to get to one hundred reviews, which I don't think will be hard. BUT, if I get 110 in the next few chapters, I'll make a sequel. (I will anyway, but this is to motivate you guys… ^_^) 


	35. Small World

Disclaimer: If I owned anything, do you think I'd be writing these?  
  
A/N: Aw man! Anyarubi was kicked off! All well…she's going to be back on as Morwen soon, so if you like humor, look her up!  
  
A/N: P.S. Anyarubi helped my think this one up…be afraid, but ready to crack up (hopefully) ^_^  
  
Time: Small World  
  
  
  
Saruman sat, gazing into his palantir (it's the crystal ball type thing), watching the woman in his dungeon. Looking closer, he saw that wretched pup on her stomach, sleeping softly.  
  
"I hope they kill each other," he said to himself. He stood and began pacing his study. She seemed so…unnerved by his magic. It disturbed him. She was only a human woman! But from where? That's what he planned to find out. A comment she had spat at him made him self-conscious. He looked at his nails…they weren't as she had said…"funky." Whatever that meant, it didn't matter. He quickly pushed his hands onto his vast desk when an orc hobbled into the room.  
  
"She hasn't said a word, my lord. Should we torture her now?" he asked in a low, husky voice. Saruman looked at the disgusting little filth and shook his head.  
  
"No…I want to question her myself."  
  
"One more thing, my lord. The Ents are migrating this way. We think they are looking for war on Isenguard."  
  
"Get the troops ready," Saruman ordered. He didn't need this right now. Calming himself, he looked back into the palantir. She was singing a song unfamiliar to the wizard. She also seemed to be conducting with her hands…dancing, almost. Shaking his head, Saruman left his library. He had an army to organize. Just as he left, he began to hum quietly. He stopped immediately.  
  
"Disdainful little wretch."  
  
A/N: Hehehehe….I had to put this chapter in…I couldn't make it too funny because it would ruin everything, but it's still pretty good, don't ya' think? 


	36. On Their Shoulders

Disclaimer: I would think you'd have seen enough of these by now…  
  
A/N: I just have to say…I (YODA) ROCK!!! Sorry…it's my family nickname… ^_^  
  
Time: On Their Shoulders  
  
  
  
"How long do you think it'll take to get there, Merry?" Pippin asked. The Ents were marching off to battle against Isenguard and Merry and Pippin sat atop Treebeard's shoulders.  
  
"I don't know! Not long now, I expect!" he replied. They sat, quiet for a moment and thought. When they had escaped, Holly stayed and fought, giving them a way to run. When they turned to motion her into the woods, an Uruk-hai soldier had picked her up and began running. They didn't know if their friend was alive, but they knew she'd be at Isenguard. It was the entire reason they decided to travel with the Ents. They had to save Holly.  
  
"Hurrruuuummmmmmm…We are almost there. Not long now," Treebeard told the hobbits. They nodded and the elder gave them a small sack.  
  
"What's this?" Pippin said.  
  
"Mmmmmm…Mushrooms for the last stretch of the journey…mmmmmm." Merry and Pippin exchanged excited looks and opened the bag eagerly. They were the most delicious mushrooms the two had ever tasted!  
  
"These are excellent!" they exclaimed together. Treebeard smiled and a small, but booming laugh surfaced from his throat.  
  
The hobbits were quiet again, listening to the Ents march and hum. Their branches creaked soothingly and a small breeze whipped their leaves back and forth. Beautiful creatures, really.  
  
Merry made himself comfortable and stared at the sky above him. It was clouding over…a bad sign. To the east, the sun shone brightly and he hoped for a rainbow once it began to rain. He ate the last bit of a mushroom and his heart skipped. Battle! It was so exciting, yet, so nerve wrecking. He wished Holly were there to make him laugh. He missed Holly a lot. She always knew what to say. She was loose and childish…things that reminded him of the Shire. He hoped she was okay…  
  
Pippin sat, hogging the bag Treebeard had given them. He popped one of the juicy treats in his mouth and looked at the mountains. They seemed to grow in size and the hobbit's stomach churned. He didn't like the mountains very much anymore. They seemed to be so evil anymore. He was jittery and dropped a mushroom, getting an annoyed look from his friend. Pippin smiled and shurgged and Merry closed his eyes, sighing irritably. This fight that was coming up worried Pippin. He didn't know if Holly was alive. He didn't know if anyone else was alive. He wanted someone there who would be assuring…tough. Someone who would tell him to be tough. Like Aragorn or Rachel. He missed Rachel…a lot. She was always ready to fight. Her calmness would have made Pippin feel so much more confident, but he'd have to do without her this time.  
  
"Hey, Merry…" Pippin said, staring ahead of them. Merry barely opened his eyes and mumbled something. Pippin hit him this time and the hobbit jerked awake.  
  
"What is i—"  
  
They stared at the menacing black tower no more than ten miles off. Orcs were flooding out of doors, windows, and walls (as far as the hobbits could see) and the reddest of the clouds in the sky loomed overtop. The place seemed to be a spear, filthy with blood. Treebeard noticed their hanging jaws and wide eyes.  
  
"Horrrrrrummmmmmm…Isenguard…"  
  
A/N: For you Pippin and Merry fans…Sorry Frodo and Sam fans, they aren't in here at all really…well, tootles! Remember what I said about 110 reviews! (I'll write a sequel…^_^) 


	37. Conversations

\  
  
Disclaimer: Yoda…blah blah blah…Johnny the Flopping Fish Boy…lalalalalala… nothing's mine…doodles diddles whittles….  
  
A/N: hehehehe…BOROMIR!!! Don't ask…I just felt like doing that…  
  
Time: Conversations  
  
  
  
"Brother, I've brought you some dinner," Faramir said, placing a goblet and plate on a small tabl ein Boromir's room. The man was standing on his balcony, staring at the sun set.  
  
"Thank you, but I'm afraid I'm not hungry," Boromir replied minutes later. His younger brother sighed.  
  
"You haven't eaten for days! We worry about you."  
  
Boromir turned and Faramir saw the tears in his eyes. The sling on his arm and shoulder was neatly bandaged and Faramir glaned over it, noticing his missing ring.  
  
"Where have you placed you—"  
  
"On my love's finger…" Boromir whispered. He turned again and stared. Faramir walked to him and watched the plains practically change colors with the sky. A storm was brewing to the south.  
  
"A wife you have chosen?" Faramir asked. Boromir nodded and sighed. Holly could be anywhere…or she could be dead. That was the basic truth and Boromir accepted it with much bitterness and remorse.  
  
"Who then? What lady have you chosen?" Faramir asked, almost excited.  
  
"A warrior. Holly. She has been missed for more than two weeks, taken by the Uruk-hai of Isenguard. I know not where she is," Boromir choked. He blinked back the tears and his brother placed a reassuring hand on his good shoulder.  
  
"She will be found, brother. Rest, eat, drink, and please, do not fret! The others will find her. Would you tell me more of them?" Faramir asked. Talking about the others seemed to cheer Boromir up at times. And in any case, men…and women! Seemed interesting and Faramir looked forward to meeting them…if they lived.  
  
"You've heard so much…"  
  
"Tell me again! Tell me of…Rachel? She seems to be a wonderful choice for a bride," Faramir said admiringly. Boromir laughed despite his grief.  
  
"Don't waste your emotions, dear Faramir! She is inevitably Legolas'!"  
  
"Well, then, tell me of her anyway! Then I wish to know of the exiled king!"  
  
"Fine then. Rachel…what words describe her? She fights…She mourns…She is silent more often than not and seems to have a severe disliking to wargs…" Boromir contemplated. Faramir laughed.  
  
"More! What of her appearance? You've never told me."  
  
"She has long, red, curly hair like fire and grey green eyes the color of clouds before a shower. She stands straight and tall and seems perfectly comfortable with any weapon, or at least the ones she has been tested with thus far!"  
  
"A mighty adversary! I may have to examine her sword play!"  
  
"She…she seems so tight at times. It's like she's a cat, ready to pounce," Boromir realized. Rachel never was relaxed. No wonder she sometimes made him edgy.  
  
"And of Aragorn? What does this glorious man seem to be?" Faramir asked, excited. He and his brother didn't get to talk much anymore and it was wonderful to have a casual conversation with him.  
  
"He is very proud and wise…I was lucky to have such a companion. He knows his place," Boromir said, nodding. Faramir saw his older brother sigh longingly.  
  
"You think of Holly?"  
  
"Indeed. I hope she is well."  
  
"She is…I see no other way of it."  
  
"I hope you are right, brother."  
  
A/N: You like? Tehe…I'm kind of hyper right now…110 reviews = sequel! Remember that! 


	38. Do I Have to Think to a Title?

Disclaimer: Do I really need to do this FOR THE NEXT HUNDRED CHAPTERS!!!!!????? I'm cool…s'okay!  
  
A/N: Sorry about those last two chapters…I forgot to spell check again…  
  
Time: Do I Have to Think of a Title???  
  
  
  
Rachel sighed and awoke, keeping her eyes closed for a few moments. She felt wonderful. When her eyes fluttered open, Legolas was already gone. He stood on the edge of the forest, thinking. It was then that Rachel remembered the night before…Holly. She could be hurt or dead by now…all that blood.  
  
"You are awake," Legolas said. He hadn't moved, but now turned and gazed at Rachel. She sat and stared back. Her hair cascaded down her body gently and the sleep in her face made her seem soft and untouched. Legolas knew she wasn't anymore. The night before, he had discovered everything about her in his dreams…every curve. He knew her completely in his mind. During the early morning, he had to leave Rachel for the desire had made his entire body radiate. The guilt, now that it was morning, flooded his every inch.  
  
"Thank you…I shouldn't have acted that way. I'm trained not to," Rachel said to him. He nodded and crossed his arms. Trained.  
  
"You're alive. You have emotions. You're pardoned," Legolas said to her over his shoulder.  
  
"Still…Never mind. Where are the others?" she asked, changing the subject. Legolas pointed to the forest. They had been gone for two hours now.  
  
"Aragorn and Gimli are searching for a trail…maybe Ho—" he didn't want to finish. It was the wrong thing to say.  
  
"Maybe…well, we need to leave soon!" Rachel said. She didn't want today to be a bad day no matter what happened the night before. She smiled and hummed a song by Dave Matthews and began getting all of their stuff together. It was somewhat painful to move her hands. Her fiasco with the tree had left her unable to even nudge something. She didn't like that, but had to live with it for a while.  
  
"Eat this," Legolas said, handing her his Lembas for the morning. He wasn't hungry for food…  
  
"Thanks…again. I really owe you, don't I?" Rachel asked him. Legolas shook his head and sat beside the snuffed fire. He picked up a twig, tossed it into the fire ring and watched a hawk above them soar over the canopy of the forest. She had no idea what he took from her. Perfume, touch, voice, sight, happiness. It depressed him.  
  
"There is no sign of him or Holly," Aragorn said as he reentered the camp site. Gimli followed shortly after and began polishing his axe. Rachel took the rag from him, still humming, and put it in his pouch.  
  
"Nope. No time. We have an appointment," she told them. Aragorn looked at her with confusion. Gimli was just irritated that she had taken his rag right from his hand.  
  
"What appointment?!" he snapped at her. She shook her finger at him and began, like a maid, to clean everything up and gather all of their stuff together.  
  
"Ah ah ah! Curiosity killed the cat! But trust me, you'll want to attend this meeting," she told them. She liked taunting people when she could. Annoyance was one of the best things to play around with.  
  
"Tell us!" Aragorn pleaded. Rachel shook her head, still humming. She grabbed her pack and began walking down a small path to her back. The others had no choice but to follow.  
  
  
  
Her step was fast…she had to know where she was going. They would be so relieved when they met…  
  
"Do you know where she's taking us, Legolas?" Gimli asked, walking beside his friend. Legolas shook his head and sighed. She was too happy. Rachel was covering her feelings up. That wasn't a good thing.  
  
"This way…" Rachel said absently. The rock Merry and Pippin met Treebeard on should be right…there!  
  
"Okay…we wait here," she sighed, sitting down on a rock. She opened her pack and got out a CD and her player. Setting it on the ground she turned it to full blast and laid back, closing her eyes. The others looked at her, but the music soothed them. She peeked open one of her eyes and saw Legolas close his eyes and sway slightly. It reminded him of elven voices.  
  
"What is this?" Aragorn asked. Rachel smiled.  
  
"Enya. I thought you'd like it," she said. They sat, listening to the Gaelic words and waited for the "appointment" Rachel was so sure would come to be.  
  
A/N: Wow! I didn't think I'd get that many reviews this fast! *Sigh * I guess I have to write a sequel, eh? Thanks "the person who put down about fourteen reviews in a row!!!" …I can't think of your pen name right now…I'm not online, so I can't really check either…^_^ 


	39. An Old Man and His Grey Rags

Disclaimer: you people know already…  
  
A/N: I'm listening to the Goo Goo Dolls…  
  
Time: An Old Man and His Grey Rags  
  
  
  
It had been hours. Rachel still sat, humming to her CDs and the others stood impatiently, thinking she was wasting their precious time.  
  
"We should move on…" Aragorn said absently. Legolas was watching the cloudy skies as light pricked through the gloom. He missed the light.  
  
"No…okay, here. To give you something to do, look for hobbit prints," Rachel said, pointing to the stone steps behind them. Aragorn shook his head, but then stared at the stairs in amazement.  
  
"There are prints here! How could you have known?!"  
  
"I read," came Rachel's simple reply. Aragorn busied himself with studying the ground. Then…it came.  
  
"Hum a different song!" Gimli spat at Rachel. She laughed and stood.  
  
"I am not the one humming!" she told him. Legolas pointed silently to an old man walking along their former path towards them. Gimli thought it to be Sauron, but Rachel knew better…Everyone exchanged looks and then reached for their weapons.  
  
"Don't…he's a friend!" Rachel yelled. The men put their weapons down reluctantly. Rachel walked forward…this man, Gandalf to be precise, would try to lead them on for a moment or two…she decided to play along.  
  
"You there! What brings you to Fangorn?!" she cried. He quickened his pace and stepped in front of her. His old clothes, ragged and grey from wear, hung lifeless from his body.  
  
"Travels. And what of you?" he said, smiling from under his cloak.  
  
"A name!" Legolas said, stepping forward.  
  
"Yours' first!" the old man cried. Gimli grabbed at his axe again.  
  
"You are a wizard!" he shouted. Gandalf nodded.  
  
"Yes…and you know me well!"  
  
"Saruman, you are then!" Gimli exclaimed, lunging. With a gentle flick of the wizard's hand, the dwarf swung back and landed softly on the ground.  
  
"Absurd! Though, I may be what he should have been…" the wizard contemplated. Rachel laughed.  
  
"That you are! I'm Rachel…Legolas…Aragorn…and Gimli, as I'm sure you knew," she told him, introducing their party. Gandalf nodded.  
  
"Indeed…I did know! And how long it has been since I've seen your faces!" he said, throwing his rags off. The men gasped with joy as Gandalf the White shone powerful and wise before them.  
  
"Gandalf!"  
  
"Yes, it is me," he said simply. Rachel gave him a hug (which he had no clue what to do with) and smiled happily.  
  
"I told you guys you didn't want to miss this appointment, didn't I?" she said to Gimli. He crossed his arms, smiling, and Rachel stuck her tongue out at him. Holly was, for a moment, forgotten.  
  
"And what of you, my friends?"  
  
"We went to Lothlorien and then were attacked by the Uruk-hai…They took Holly, Merry, and Pippin. Holly's with Saruman, but the hobbits are with Treebeard. Frodo and Sam ran off to Mount Doom. They're doing fine…trust me. No problems yet. Umm…Boromir was wounded in battle and sent back to Rohan with the Riders. You aren't exactly in their graces, you know. Stealing Shadowfax! How could you?! Anyway, we came here afterwards," Rachel said rapidly. Gandalf was wonderful. He could always make you smile and he never seemed to die…  
  
"My goodness! You certainly know of our journeys don't you, Rachel?" he asked. She nodded.  
  
"One other thing has changed among us, Gandalf," Aragorn said. He exchanged curious glances with the wizard and then looked at Rachel. Gandalf looked at her suspiciously.  
  
"Oh? And what has changed exactly?" he asked. Rachel didn't know what they were doing…she had forgotten about the whole "elf" thing. Legolas looked at her. She finally understood and turned red. She was embarrassed! She seemed like a harmless child.  
  
"I'm an…an elf. Elentari," Rachel said quietly. Gandalf's pipe (which he had been smoking the entire time) fell to the ground and his jaw dropped. A few seconds later, he laughed.  
  
"That wasn't something I was expecting! An elf, eh? The Lady of the Wood, I guess?"  
  
"Yes. She gave her immortal life…for Rachel," Legolas said. He stepped forward and peered at the wizard. He knew what the elf felt. It was excruciating…  
  
"It's not that big a deal…I'm no different than before," Rachel said, trying to find an excuse. She really was different. Her heart seemed lighter in some ways…many ways. Then again, it felt weighed down with feelings.  
  
"I suppose not," Gandalf said, drifting. He could tell was Rachel felt as well. The feeling was welcome and admitted, but she knew not of the Elven love…It was unknown to her. She had no idea what Legolas went through…  
  
"We should sit and eat. My stomach shouts of hunger!" Gimli said, helping himself to some Lembas. Everyone sat and told of their stories. However, Rachel and Legolas left out the most desired thing they wished for…each other.  
  
A/N: I know…More updates, right? *Sigh * You people are so predictable… ^_^ 


	40. Riding Once Again

Disclaimer: they aren't mine…sob  
  
A/N: Okay, I know this probably isn't what happens with the horses and all, but it's my story and I can screw it up as much as I want to…at least I'm staying with the main plot and I don't have a "Gimli-n-Drag!" ^_^…actually, that would be verrryyyy interesting…hehehe…Watch for a new story comin' up…  
  
Time: Riding Once Again  
  
  
  
"We need to leave…I must return Shadowfax and it seems you three have horses to return as well!" Gandalf said, standing. Aragorn and Legolas stood, strapping their weapons on. Gimli snatched his axe, but Rachel didn't move.  
  
"What is it, my dear?" the wizard asked. She barely made a sound and just stared at the ground. She was out of it…that's all. Thinking of nothing in particular. Pencils…television…her piano and marimba…things she didn't have with her.  
  
"Nothin'…just thinkin' of home," she said, yawning. Standing finally, she followed the others through their earlier path and, to her surprise, Mordil stood there with the other horses and his father, Shadowfax. The elder was so magnificent and it was apparent of the two beasts' relation.  
  
"Wow…" Rachel said. She approached the horses quietly…the others stood back for a second. Gandalf leaned in towards Aragorn…  
  
"Why do we stop?"  
  
"Let Rachel have a moment…She loves horses…" Aragorn said, smiling. He shook his head and laughed, thinking of how loose and childish Rachel had become. She wasn't a machine anymore.  
  
"Shadowfax…I've heard a lot about you," Rachel whispered to the horse. He walked forward and nudged her, just like Mordil had. He whinnied and nodded in approval. Mordil took his father's place and knelt, letting Rachel mount without hassle.  
  
"Thank you, Mordil."  
  
"Come, let us ride!" Gandalf shouted. He strode forward gallantly and all four men settled on their beasts' backs. Within moments they were galloping across the plains of Rohan. The wind rushed by Rachel's hair, making it a tangled mess. She didn't care. The elf was riding abreast to the wizard…the others were trailing behind. The father and son were meant to lead.  
  
"Let's see what Shadowfax's son can handle, shall we?!" Gandalf yelled to Rachel over the roaring of the air past their ears. She nodded and they rushed forward, leaving Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli in their dust. Mordil leaped ahead of his father and they made a wide circle and came behind the others. Aragorn looked back and laughed.  
  
"One for games, are we, Rachel?!" he shouted. She shook her head.  
  
"Only competition!"  
  
A/N: Unexpected ending…really short…huh…reminds me of a cliffhanger…does it you? Hehehehe… 


	41. Rueful Reunion

Disclaimer: They aren't mine…sob…wait a sec, didn't I say that one already???  
  
A/N: Okay, I'm gonna have another fic about Holly when she's had too much sugar, pixie stix, and cream soda. Let's just say that Gimli gets drunk and when he wakes up…he's umm…well, I'm not going to spoil it for you, but there's nothing sexual about this fic incase I led you the wrong way (^_^), so buh bye!  
  
Time: Rueful Reunion  
  
  
  
They rode until the sun set in the western sky. Mordil had barely broken a sweat and neither had his father, but the other horses were panting and so tired they nearly collapsed. Rachel got off her horse and sighed…horse heaven. She could smell them and hear them and couldn't wait to see them later. But then…she remembered Èomer. This was his home. She hated Èomer with a passion. She hated him more than Haldir…she didn't even really hate Haldir.  
  
"The gates," Gandalf said to her. Rachel nodded and looked up. The sky was dark…no stars. The wizard walked forward and a guard stepped in his way.  
  
"You cannot pass."  
  
"I wish to speak with the Mark!" Gandalf yelled. The guard shook his head and Rachel stepped up beside the older man. Maybe she could convince him…  
  
"You cannot pass."  
  
"We need to talk with him. It's an emergency!" Rachel said. She was mad but mostly because her legs were sore and she wanted to wash Mordil down…look at his tack (saddle, etc.)…  
  
"Lady Rachel! I did not know it was you!" the guard said nervously. He snapped to attention and look at her with stone eyes. She liked this…it reminded her of the good old days…  
  
"What do you mean?" she asked in a lethal tone. He blinked and gulped.  
  
"The Mark's son, Èomer has requested you be immediately brought to the hall. He had a feeling you might arrive!"  
  
Rachel sighed. This was great…absolutely perfect! Why her? Always the sleeze balls who had a thing for her. It sucked! She shook her head and then nodded. Mordil came beside her and the guard opened the gates. He stopped them before they passed.  
  
"I cannot allow your weapons into the hall!" he told them. Reluctantly, everyone removed their knives, guns, swords, axes, daggers, and bows. The man let them pass and they walked with Gandalf as their leader to the Great Hall.  
  
"I am here to speak with the Mark!" the wizard cried as they approached its doors. A shriveled and slimey little man looked up at the party. He was anxious…Wormtongue was Rachel's guess. He really was an apparent spy. Why didn't the Mark see it?  
  
"The Mark's name is Theoden, isn't it?" Rachel whispered to Aragorn. He nodded and they proceeded up the steps.  
  
Legolas was dreading what would happen. That letcherous Èomer was here…the Mark's heir, nonetheless! He wouldn't get near her. Legolas wouldn't let him do anything that he himself would be jealous of…which was anything…  
  
"Legolas? Come on," Rachel said, throwing her head toward the doors. He looked at her and walked up beside her protectively. Elves such as he were very…territorial.  
  
"Gandalf the Grey! Or should I call you a thief?" the Mark shouted indignantly. Gandalf chuckled.  
  
"I deserve that, my friend. Indeed, I did borrow Shadowfax. I have come to return him and other horses, including Mordil, his son!" the wizard said emphasizing the word "borrow." Rachel's heart sank childishly and selfishly. She wanted Mordil.  
  
"Still, your presence here brings news of woe as it always does?!" the Mark cried again. This would take a while. Rachel decided that she could listen, but look. The hall was elegant and grand. It reminded her of the Ancient Romans…perfect. Then again…there was one blemish…  
  
Èomer was standing beside the Mark. When he saw her looking at him, he smiled slyly and bowed his head slightly. This wasn't going to be fun, but maybe she could play him for information and trust from Theoden. Hey, it was better than nothing.  
  
"Please, sire! They are trustworthy! Here are the men and lady I met upon the road!" Èomer shouted. He walked forward and again, bowed, kissing Rachel's hand. She was repulsed, but held it back.  
  
"You are sure?"  
  
"I'm positive," he said more to Rachel than to the Mark. He looked her in the eyes and she shot him a glare.  
  
"Wonderful to see you again, my fair," he told her. She smiled.  
  
"Likewise, my lord."  
  
A/N: fun huh? 


	42. Misunderstanding

Disclaimer: grrrrr…I hate these things…  
  
A/N; My new fic is called "Never Give Holly Sugar." Check it out!…I just wrote it!  
  
Time: Misunderstanding  
  
  
  
Legolas stood, awestruck. Rachel couldn't…he wouldn't believe that…  
  
"Come, I have prepared rooms for you and your guests," Èomer said. The Mark sat speechless and his servant, Wormtongue whispered something in his ear.  
  
"Gandalf! I must speak with you alone!" Theoden yelled as the party walked toward the door, Èomer in the lead. Gandalf nodded and walked back into the hall. The doors shut behind him.  
  
"Here are your rooms, Master Dwarf. Aragorn. And yours, sir," Èomer said bitterly, bowing toward Legolas. The elf nearly growled, but at the look on Rachel's face, he surrendered, walking through the door and shutting it quietly. Rachel stared after him in confusion…he hardly ever glared…  
  
"Your rooms, my fair, are this way," Éomer said walking along the hall. Rachel strolled after him, looking back at Legolas' chambers. Huh, he had seemed so…strained. All well.  
  
The man stopped in front of a large, white oak door. He opened it and bowed low to Rachel. She was thinking…didn't even notice him about to speak. She hated him anyway…it didn't matter. The only reason she had been nice to him was to gain the trust of Theoden.  
  
"Thanks," she said sourly, not even looking at the room before shutting the door in his face. Rachel sat down on the bed…a bed!!!  
  
"Heaven…that's got to be it…I'm in heaven," she said to herself. She hadn't slept on a bed (other than Lothlorien) in about four months. This one was particularly comfortable too. Feather mattress with feather pillows and probably a feather comforter too. She lay back and sank into the fluffy (A/N: I hate that word.) cloth, about to fall asleep…then someone knocked on the door.  
  
"Why me?" Rachel asked. She sighed and stood.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I've brought you something," Èomer said from behind the door. Rachel rolled her eyes and opened it. He held a long, red silk pajama out in front of her. It seemed like a slip, only plain and beautiful. If it had not been brought by him…she may have worn it….but probably not.  
  
"And this is?" she asked with a bitchy attitude. The Rider laughed and handed it to her.  
  
"Something for you to sleep in, my lady."  
  
"Uh huh…umm…thank you! Now, buh'bye!" Rachel said, shutting the door again. Èomer chuckled…she couldn't hold out forever. He would eventually have her…one way or another, Rachel would be his.  
  
"Tonight is my love's night," he said to the door.  
  
"Bastard," Rachel said to herself. She threw the slip-thingy in a corner, but then decided better of it. She threw it out the window and into the courtyard instead. If only she had a match…  
  
  
  
Rachel…what made her act that way toward Èomer? He had been so rude to her…so disrespectful. It boiled Legolas' blood to see that, even though he was rude, she seemed to…No! It wasn't real! She had to be…  
  
"What's the use? Èomer seems to have beaten you to her," Legolas scorned himself. He was pacing the floor rapidly. A sound in the courtyard caught his attention. Across the garden, Rachel stood by the balcony. A crimson red piece of clothing lay in the dirt below her window. Legolas stopped like a deer being watched. Had she seen him? He knew she could hear him if she wanted to.  
  
"Why?" Rachel told the stars. Legolas' ear twitched…She never spoke with such a wistful air before. Although it had been only one word, her voice seemed different in some way…more poetic and brilliant. Consuming more so than ever.  
  
Rachel looked down at the red cloth upon the ground and climbed slowly over her balcony. She made sure to step on it before sitting at a bench surrounded by Midnight Lilies and wild ferns and flowers. Legolas jumped silently over his railing and walked to Rachel's. He picked her cloth up (He could now see it to be a pajama slip.) and walked toward her back. She didn't even turn around.  
  
"Hello, Legolas."  
  
"How did you know it to be me?"  
  
"You are the only one who makes so little sound," she said, turning toward him. He was beautiful by moonlight. He peered at her, his mouth slightly open and held the slip out ot her.  
  
"I believe you dropped this."  
  
Rachel took it and put it on her lap. She checked the other balconies for sign of movement. No candles were burning and no feet shuffled. The courtyard was boxed in by wall-climbing ivy and sleeping companions.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Silence.  
  
When she turned her head back to Legolas, he had his eyes closed and his fists clenched. He could smell Èomer on her hand and on the clothing Rachel held. But, he could also smell her hair and skin and feel her breath, though she wasn't near, upon his chest (he stood, she sat). It had become an intoxication. She was standing now.  
  
"Tell me what is the matter! You have been acting strangely for weeks!" Rachel whispered to him.  
  
"I cannot tell you," Legolas said with an even voice. His eyes were still closed.  
  
"Look at me!"  
  
"…"  
  
Rachel moved his chin to look at her and his eyes shot open. He jerked away, breathing hard.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked more desperately than forcefully. Legolas couldn't say…he was frustrated with himself for being such a coward.  
  
"You wish to know?"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"I can't stand to be near you!" he shouted in her face passionately, nearly interrupting her. Rachel's eyes went from worried to shocked to stone cold. She clenched her jaw and nodded.  
  
"Very well then."  
  
With that, she sped back to her room and closed the windows and drapes. Legolas still stood in the courtyard, speechless and angry at himself. He hadn't meant it like that. He had meant she was overpowering his senses. He couldn't stand to be controlled near her. The desire was…too much. And now, he would have to harness it for an eternity. His breathing was still raspy. Everything around him was blurry and unheard and only one thing went through his mind...She had left with such a hatred…  
  
  
  
Èomer watched from a walkway above the courtyard. He smiled…Rachel hated Legolas…Legolas was heartbroken…It was perfect. Rachel would be distraut, crumbling…And he would be there to comfort her.  
  
"Absolutely perfect," he said to himself. Nearly skipping with joy, Èomer walked along the path toward the steps. He had "comforting" to do…  
  
A/N: Hehehe…Good, huh? I LOVE this chapter…one of my greats, really…^_^ 


	43. Verbal Confirmation

Disclaimer: Who doesn't wish these guys were theirs???  
  
A/N: Okay…I'm just curious…Are any of my fans guys??? I don't know why I want to know, but hey, whatever, right?  
  
Time: Verbal Confirmation  
  
  
  
Rachel punched the post of her bed and fell to her knees. She had completely forgotten about her wounds from Fangorn. She unwrapped her knuckles and examined them closely…she wouldn't be able to punch at anything for weeks. They were bleeding again.  
  
"Damn."  
  
She stood and looked at the drapes…no, he wasn't still out there…he hated her. Simple as that. He "couldn't stand to be near her." That had pierced her heart and wrenched out. Then, it had put it on a silver…no, golden platter…she hated gold. After that, he fed it to a warg…All the while she watched. It was pure hell. She kicked the wall and sat down on her bed.  
  
Something red and shimmering caught her eye. It was the red slip Èomer had given her. She sighed and stood. It didn't really matter if she wore it anyway, did it? Plus, her clothes were more than dirty from travel and battle. Rachel bent and picked it up, slipping out of her clothes gingerly. She put it on quickly and brushed her hair out with a comb on the night stand by her bed. She was tempted to look in the mirror, but thought better of it…she had never worn a dress before. Never…It was always a good pair of black pants or her dress whites. Nothing else. Holly however…well, she wasn't afraid to be feminine as long as the outfit didn't contain a pair of heels. If she could wear her boots or a pair of sandals, she was happy. Rachel missed Holly…  
  
She peeked through the drapes on her balcony and saw that Legolas was no where in sight. All the lights were out and she couldn't hear anything. Rachel opened the drapes and let the night air into her room…She always slept better when the windows were open. Leaning on the railing, she stared at the place where she and Legolas had quarreled. It seemed so deceitful to her…meant for love, used for hate. She didn't blame him for hating her, but she wanted to…to…  
  
"This is useless!" she growled at herself, turning. Rachel stopped short when she saw Èomer standing by her wide open door. He seemed troubled…worried.  
  
"Are you alright? I didn't mean to let myself in, but the door was open. I heard you and Legolas in the courtyard," he explained rapidly. A sure sign of nervousness. Either that or he was an awesome actor. Rachel didn't really care…she needed to vent anger and who better to throw it on than Èomer?  
  
"I'm fine. It's just…that…that jackass!" Rachel stuttered with obvious rage. Èomer smiled evilly when she turned away from him and walked to her side. He frowned and looked concerned again. She was leaning against the railing again. He did the same.  
  
"Don't fret yourself with him. However, I don't know how any man could resist you," Èomer said quietly. He meant for it to sound innocent and it must have worked. Rachel smiled at him with appreciation.  
  
"Thanks. You know, you aren't that bad," she admitted. He really wasn't…just a romantic, she guessed…a perverted romantic. He laughed and nudged her shoulder playfully. Rachel smiled and told him to stop softly.  
  
"What has happened?!" he demanded, looking at her unbandaged hands. He held them in his and gently ran a finger along the scrapes. This was the perfect window of opportunity.  
  
"I was angry and I basically killed a tree," Rachel said casually. Èomer looked at her with practiced concern and kissed one of her hands, making her move a little closer. Then he kissed the other…another step closer.  
  
"That is the only medicine I know, my lady," Èomer whispered in Rachel's ear. She was surprised to find herself not minding the man calling her by "my lady" or "my fair." But enough was enough.  
  
Èomer put his hand on her shoulder and then traced her spine with affection. Rachel was really uncomfortable now. She tried to jerk away, but Èomer was too strong.  
  
"Get off! You bastard!" she yelled. He wouldn't get off…  
  
  
  
Legolas heard Rachel yell from his room. He had been contemplating what to do next…die or…well, die. He stood immediately and ran to his window…Èomer and she were on the balcony. Èomer looked almost crazed…He nearly crushed her hands and her knees buckled slightly. She silently cried out in pain. Èomer looked down at her. He knew she wouldn't cry for help. When she spat in his face, he hit Rachel hard and she fell to the floor…and didn't move.  
  
That was the fury point for Legolas. He dashed over to Rachel's room with lightning speed and rammed Èomer into a wall before he knew what hit him. He didn't have time to look at Rachel. Èomer tried to head butt Legolas and was welcomed by a forearm at his throat. The elf nearly lifted him off the ground.  
  
"How could you?" Legolas asked in a deathly tone. Èomer laughed and coughed slightly.  
  
"She is a woman. I wanted to have her and it is as simple as that. Why do you ask? Do you love her?" Èomer teased cruelly. Legolas pulled him away from the wall and smashed him against it again. The walls shook as Legolas stared the man down with anger he never knew he possessed.  
  
"Yes…I do love her!"  
  
Èomer laughed again.  
  
"I was wondering when you would be brave enough to say so. You are a coward! Why not take her?!" Èomer shouted quietly. Legolas didn't answer. He wanted to do that exact thing…but…  
  
"If your garb so much as brushes against her skin, I will kill you," Legolas said. He roughly ripped his hands away from Èomer's neck. The man slumped and grabbed his neck. Legolas turned his back on him and looked at Rachel.  
  
"Leave…Now!" Legolas commanded. Èomer nodded and rushed out the door. He had failed miserably. Not a word would be said, and if it was, two elves in particular would die a nasty death.  
  
A/N: Hehehe…I like this chapter too…. 


	44. Getting Things Straight

Disclaimer: I wish…  
  
A/N: yep yep…why did I say that?  
  
Time: Getting Things Straight  
  
  
  
Legolas listened to Èomer walked down the hall and then he picked Rachel up. She smelled like Èomer. She had been hurt by Èomer. Legolas wanted to rip his heart out for that. He wanted to tear his own out. He should have come sooner. He shouldn't have yelled. He shouldn't have gone back to his room, but apologized. There were a million things he should have done, but he wouldn't. Èomer was right. Legolas was a coward.  
  
"I'm so sorry, my…my love," Legolas said quietly and hesitantly. He put Rachel on the bed and held her in his arms. He noticed her hands…they were red and bleeding…So was the bed post.  
  
"Is she alright?" a voice said from the doorway. Legolas' head shot up and found Gandalf standing there, tired and weary. He nodded and the wizard clutched his pipe in his jaw. He nodded as well and walked down the hall to his own chambers, but not before closing Rachel's door completely.  
  
"You're not alright. You could not be alright," Legolas said to Rachel's unconscious form. She squirmed and her eyes opened sluggishly. For a moment, she was glad to see that Legolas was holding her. What had become of Èomer? That goddamn, mother-fucking, son-of-a-bitch…Then…  
  
Rachel shrugged Legolas off of her. Her eyes were daggers.  
  
"I thought you couldn't stand to be near me," she said shakily. She wanted to cry, but now was not the time.  
  
"Yes, but not as you think. A different kind of emotion," he tried to explain. Rachel nodded. Then she looked at him with dewy eyes. He nearly collapsed.  
  
"Why can't you just tell me?" she pleaded. Legolas held her gaze, then cupped her cheek in his hand.  
  
"I wish I could, but I am a coward. I cannot express the words," he said sincerely. Rachel stared up at him and he ran a finger along her jaw and slightly across her lips. Rachel touched them…they tingled…just like when she had been asleep so many times before. Legolas?!  
  
"You?" she whispered almost inaudibly. Legolas gulped. He had been leaning closer and closer to her. He lowered his head and Rachel gasped quietly, resisting at first. This wasn't something she saw happening. He kissed Rachel gently on the lips, but soon deepened it, elven love taking over his body. He moaned with pleasure and slouched over. He was almost beyond control. They both quaked and Legolas stood. This was too much and he didn't want…well, he did, but Rachel was vulnerable. This wasn't right.  
  
"This is not right. I cannot," Legolas said nervously. He was pale. When he had kissed her, shock waves. It was like lightning passed through his being. A tornado of ecstasy. Rachel felt the same, only…let's just say that in this situation, ignorance was bliss.  
  
"Why? You…? I…" Rachel stuttered. She couldn't finish a sentence to save her life. He had tasted like…like honeysuckle. He lingered on her lips and she touched them with confusion.  
  
"I'm sorry. I should not have done that," Legolas said. He looked at Rachel's face. It was written with disbelief and no understanding. She looked at him. Her face was beginning to bruise from Èomer's abuse. Oh, how Legolas wished to stay, but at this point, Legolas would definitely awake with Rachel in his arms…no clothing…another shudder…  
  
"Please…I don't underst—"  
  
"Good night."  
  
With that, Legolas was out the window…out of sight…no sound, except the sound of Rachel's heart. She was dazed…unable to move…that was…what was that?…that had never happened before…not even with Jake…  
  
She sighed. Her stomach fluttered with butterflies and she nearly laughed. That was exceptional! Laying on her bed, she dreamed of Legolas…no wargs…no dying comrades…no Èomer…just the taste of honeysuckle and his face soaked with moonlight.  
  
A/N: I really hope you liked…you like??? ^_^ 


	45. Growth

Disclaimer: hellooooooo…..  
  
A/N: Check the reviews…I left a little message…  
  
Time: Growth  
  
  
  
Holly and her new "puppy," Mornie, were howling. Really, they were howling, trying to annoy the shit out of the guards. It was Holly's second day in the cellar and…well, let's just say Mornie had grown. He was almost as big as a horse…literally.  
  
"Hey, Mornie? Can you bite through these?" Holly asked hopefully. The wolf shook his head and wagged his tail. She growled and the wolf licked her face.  
  
"Eeeeeeewwwwwwww!" she said, trying to wipe the slobber off her face on her shirt sleeve. It didn't work very well, but it made her sneeze. A guard walked into the room and placed some food on Holly's stomach. Mornie immediately tried to bite the things hand off, but was kicked. Holly, still chained to the floor, sent some insults his way and waited for Mornie to push some food into her face.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
They ate hungrily and Mornie tickled Holly, licking her shirt.  
  
"Hey! Quit that!…What to do, what to do…" Holly said, fidgeting. Then, it came to her.  
  
"Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall! Ninety-nine bottles of beer! You take one down, pass it around, ninety-eight bottles of beer on the wall!" she began singing…her voice was growing hoarse, but she could hold out another decade…  
  
A/N: Don't you hate really short chapters like this? Hehehe…I thought so… 


	46. Bobby Pin

Disclaimer: say hello to DOLLY!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry, I just watched Dick Tracey…hehehe… very funny yellow coat…  
  
A/N: My goal is 200 reviews…don't rush it though!  
  
Time: Bobby Pin  
  
  
  
"Okay! That's it! You think you're unmovable?! Try this! THIS IS THE SONG THAT NEVER ENDS! BADABUMBUMBUM! YES IT GOES ON AND ON MY FRIENDS! SOME PEOPLE STARTED SINGING IT NOT KNOWING WHAT IT WAS! AND THEY'LL CONTINUE SINGING IT FOREVER JUST BECAUSE…!" Holly screamed in the most annoying and off-pitch tone she could muster up. The orcs above her didn't move except to cringe once or twice when she hit a high note. In truth, Holly was a great vocalist. She just…didn't express it. Mornie began howling along with her and the orc guards roared.  
  
"This is unbearable! Let us move! She won't escape the chains!" one said to the other. They rushed out the door and it boomed behind them. Now, Holly was going to get to work. Hopefully her best buddy in the whole wide worl—Yes! Her bobby pin was still attached to her sleeve!  
  
"Okay…who's the master?! I'm the King of the Hill, baby!" she yelled happily. She coughed…her voice was way too raspy. She wouldn't talk much for days.  
  
Mornie wagged his tail and licked Holly on the face. She laughed and got her bobby pin with her teeth. The chains were long, so she easily unhooked her wrists. It was the neck chain that got her. She strained, but finally, after much cursing, she popped the lock open. Her ankles were easy to free as well. She jumped up.  
  
"Hair piece of diabolical goodness! I salute you!" she yelled, putting her hand to her head. Holly fell over. Almost no food or water would do that to anyone.  
  
"Okay…so maybe I'm not in the best of health right now, but I don't give a shit!" she yelled at Mornie who snorted. Suddenly…yells. Rumbling.  
  
"Fuck!"  
  
The walls were vibrating…stone fell from the ceiling…what was happening?  
  
'Aw man! I completely forgot! The Storming of Isenguard!" she scolded herself. Mornie back up behind her and yelped when the wall to their left broke open. Stone showered them as a long, strong tentacle wrapped around them.  
  
A/N: Don't ya' love when I keep ya' hangin'?! 


	47. Rescued A Little Bit Late

Disclaimer: Yo poseido nada…gotta love Spanish!…  
  
A/N: Do I always have to have something to say?! Well, NOT ANYMORE!!! I PROTEST!!! BOYCOTT BOYCOTT BOYCOTT!!! Oh yeah, for those of you who are biting your nails and wanting Gondor to come up soon…it's almost heeeeere!!!!!!! ^_^  
  
Time: Rescued a Little Too Late  
  
  
  
The thing twisted and turned around them, nearly squeezing the life from Holly and Mornie. It was like stone. Holly couldn't pry it off of her…Within seconds of her capture, she was being pulled through the busted wall, up a chute toward the surface of Isenguard.  
  
Before Holly could collect her head, light cascaded into her sight. Her head ached and she was roughly casted to the ground. It was cool and welcoming. She was glad to be on the outside.  
  
Two sillouettes came into her line of sight. They seemed like valiant soldiers. Knights in shining armor who came to save her…Then her eyes adjusted…  
  
"Merry?! Pippin?! What the hell were you trying to do?!" she yelled at the cowering hobbits. She jumped to her feet and Mornie sat beside her, his head tilted to the side. His tail wagged slightly.  
  
"We were only savin' you!" Pippin shouted an octave higher than he should. Holly rushed forward and they ducked, thinking she was going to hit them. Instead, she embraced them. They hugged her back and the three of them laughed when Mornie jumped in. The two hobbits weren't afraid at all and stood, smiling up at Holly. She flashed a grin at them, then smacked them both hard on the head.  
  
"Ow! What was that for?!" Merry asked, rubbing his ear. Holly showed him her bobby pin.  
  
"You guys rescued me a little too late! I was already out of my chains!" Holly otld them. They didn't know what the bobby pin was, but shrugged it off and introduced the woman to Treebeard.  
  
"Horrrrrrrruuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmmmm…Nice to meet you," he said to her. She nodded her head and tapped her foot, she needed to get to Gondor…she needed a map…she wanted to know if Boromir was alive or not and that's more than likely where Rachel and Aragorn would have sent him. It wouldn't hurt to ask…  
  
"Do you have a map of Middle-Earth?" she asked big tree in front of her. At least, he looked like a tree. An Ent was what Holly thought they were called.  
  
"Yeeesssssss. Do you neeeed ittttt?" he asked. Holly nodded and he reached in a small wooden pouch at his side. He handed a small slab of wood to her. On it were dies from berries and such that made a beautiful picture, though worn.  
  
"It isssss oldddddd…but I thinkkkkk Middle-Earthhhh will beeeee the saaaammmmeeeee…" he told her. An orc ran at them and faster than anyone would have guessed, Treebeard snapped his neck in two with a long and twisted root. He didn't even look at the crippled corpse.  
  
"Umm…Thanks, Treebeard. Well, I'm going now!" Holly yelled, running off. Mornie was following in her wake. Merry and Pippin sprinted after, tringto figure out what she was doing, but stopped after a few moments.  
  
"Did she say where she was going?" Pippin asked.  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Do you know where she's going?"  
  
"No clue."  
  
"Okay," Pippin said, shrugging. They walked back tot he safety of Treebeard as the battle around them raged on. Holly was already out of site…  
  
A/N: Comical, in my opinion. 


	48. MakeShift Horse

Disclaimer: Ne posséder rien!…gotta love French!…  
  
A/N: Sorry if anything's ever spelled wrong. I forget about spell check a lot. Oh yeah, my chapters are usually short. Sorry 'bout that too!  
  
Time: Make-shift Horse  
  
  
  
Holly and Mornie had been running for close to an hour and Holly was hurting. She liked running, just not over rocks and bumps and things she could trip over. She stopped and looked at Mornie. He wasn't even panting yet.  
  
"I hate you," she told him. He almost seemed to smile. Holly shook her head. Delusional. He nudged her with his nose worriedly. The wolf whined and Holly got an idea. She grin maliciously. Mornie put his ears back.  
  
"Oh Mornie! Come here, Sweety!" she said in a sing-song voice. He did hesitantly and she climbed onto his back. Mornie was roughly the size of a large horse. Holly, although she hated riding horses, felt safe on his back and they galloped faster than ever toward their destination.  
  
"Geez. I wish this thing woul djust tell me left or right!" Holly growled, turning the map upside down and sideways, trying to make sense of it. This was insane and frustrating, but she wouldn't give up.  
  
Holly wiped away a tear. What if Boromir hadn't survived? It would break her…  
  
It was nearly dusk when they finally came in sight of Gondor.  
  
A/N: You think my normal chapters are short? Hehehe…I can ALWAYS make them shorter!!! 


	49. Drunken Warrior

Disclaimer: I hate these things with a passion…  
  
A/N: I thought you guys would like that last chapter. Hehehe…  
  
Time: Drunken Warrior  
  
  
  
Rachel paced her room. That was strange…probably a dream. Legolas had…she touched her lips…They still tingled. She shook her head and kept pacing.  
  
"Rachel!" Aragorn said from outside the door. It was still dark, but not early morning. He knocked quietly on her door and she opened. He looked at her oddly and smiled slightly. The look on her face was new…and so was that bruise…  
  
"Buenos dias," she said distractedly. He held her face and examined her wound. She didn't feel like being understood.  
  
"What happened here?"  
  
"Ah, estoy hero," she told him. He wouldn't know Spanish. He couldn't know Spanish. That was good. He nodded and guessed at what she had said. He cocked an eyebrow, wanting her to tell him everything that had happened. If someone had hurt her…  
  
"Fine…I had a nightmare and fell off the bed. I hit my head on the night stand," she said, pointing to the askew piece of furniture…She had been kicking it around all night. He sighed.  
  
"That's not believable, but it'll have to do I suppose. Come, gather your things. We leave for war in an hour," he said, walking into the room. She picked up her pack and, without question, followed the Ranger out. He led her passed the busy soldiers, preparing their gear and saddling their horses. She immediately thought of Mordil. The whole "war" thing was taking her mind off…confusing matters. War was simple. Kill or be killed. No rules apply. That was her philosophy and probably why she never became a politician.  
  
"Helm's Deep, I guess?" she said to Aragorn. She yawned and slumped along the hallway. Confusing…very confusing. Rachel's head was swimming with…emotion? She wasn't sure…nothing like she had ever felt. Her body shuddered at the mere though of Legolas. She felt a desire to walk to his balcony and…silly. She was being silly. Or poisoned! That was it! Poisoned…  
  
"What is it?" Aragorn said, looking at Rachel strangely. She held one finger in the air and her mouth hung open. She was nearly going to scream "Eureka!" She shut her mouth and put her hand down.  
  
"Don't mind me," she said more to herself than Aragorn. He let his shoulders slide down, but recovered and walked rapidly down the hallway. Rachel's head was pounding. It hurt to bad, she had to cling to the wall. She had a concussion. Those things sucked.  
  
"Awe, man! I hate this!" she yelled loudly! Aragorn and every soldier in hearing distance stopped and looked at her.  
  
"What is the matter?!" Aragorn asked irritably. Rachel walked passed him, giving him the cold shoulder.  
  
"Concussion, you ass," she mumbled. He rolled his eyes and followed her. Mordil was waiting, saddled and bridled. He snorted when she patted his nose. He kneeled and let her get on his back. She was still in her pajama slip, but hadn't noticed. She was wondering why one of the soldiers nearly ran into another. She just raised her eyebrows and shook her head.  
  
"You are in no condition to fight!" Gimli said. Somehow, he had found his way to her side. She looked down at all three of him and yawned again.  
  
"Gimlis…All three of you…Go away. I'm not fighting. I'm simply going to go rescue Holly," she said in a slurred voice. They thought she was drunk…or something. He looked her up and down and crossed his arms.  
  
"Fine. Be careful or I'll suffer you a blow to the head…"  
  
"Too late," she said. Without another word, she rode away. Aragorn and Gimli stood, watching her go. Legolas ran up to them.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?! She won't be able to rescue Holly in that state!" he yelled at Aragorn. Gimli looked at him and laughed.  
  
"And you think you could stop her?! I'd like to see you try!" he retorted. Legolas' eyes became wide with fury and he grabbed the nearest horse, adjusting the stirrups. Aragorn grabbed his shoulder.  
  
"What do you think you're doing, my friend?" he asked. Legolas didn't looked at him…didn't stutter or fumble a step.  
  
"I'm following her."  
  
"No, you will not."  
  
"Why?!" he asked. He then looked at the Ranger. Aragorn sighed and shook his head.  
  
"We need you on the battle field."  
  
"She needs me!"  
  
"Don't let your love of her cloud your thoughts! She is a warrior. She can handle herself!" Aragorn said to him.  
  
"Not after Èomer…"  
  
Legolas stopped himself. He had already said too much. Aragorn leaned in close. His eyes were piercing.  
  
"After what, Legolas?"  
  
"I cannot say."  
  
"Very well then."  
  
They stood there. Legolas watched the small speck that was Rachel speed off into the rising sun. She may be gone forever…Èomer rode by. He was to stay and rule Rohan in Theoden's absence (the Mark was to fight), but that didn't mean he couldn't ride and make sure everything was done right. He smirked at Legolas. The man bobbed his head in greeting and the elf the same. Aragorn literally held Legolas from jumping at the Heir of Rohan.  
  
"Don't tempt our alliance with the Riders of Rohan," he advised. Legolas growled.  
  
"I have no quarrel with the Mark, but if he ever touches Rachel again, I will skewer him and place his head on a pike. If he has a heart, I will burn it along with the orcs I kill," Legolas warned.  
  
A/N: Okay, if you have a problem with my usage of different languages, just tell me and I'll translate them for you guys, k? 


	50. On The Other Side Of The Gates

Disclaimer: Non possedere niente!…gotta love Italian!…  
  
A/N: Okay, most of you will kill me, but I'm writing a Harry Potter fic (curls up in a ball and waits for the mob to throw stones), but IsawOliverWoodandwasinspiredand DON'T HURT MEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Time: On The Other Side Of The Gates  
  
  
  
Holly stopped. Mornie was somewhat tired, but barely. She sat on his back, looking at the Gates of Gondor…her heart skipped. Was Boromir alright?…  
  
  
  
…Boromir sat on his window ledge, gazing at the rising moon. The sling on his arm was nearly useless by now, but he wore it for his father. Denethor would worry and his health was too frail to risk anything. Boromir's heart was too frail to believe…  
  
  
  
  
  
…Holly gulped. This was it…time to meet the In-laws. Time to come face to face with whether Boromir lived or died.  
  
"With my luck, your dead," Holly said aloud. She nodded her head to Mornie and clicked her tongue. He sped off toward the Gates. This was it…The truth…  
  
  
  
  
  
…Boromir's eyes searched the horizon. The fading sunlight was depressing. It reminded him of his fading hope. Even now, he imagined Holly at the Gates of Gondor…but, he had never seen an enormous wolf in her presence…the hallucinations were getting worse.  
  
  
  
"Friend or foe?!" a guard hollered at a short, blonde woman at the entrance to the city. Boromir jolted to his feet. Faramir walked in with his brother's evening meal and was nearly knocked to his back as he ran from the room. Faramir yelled at him and followed.  
  
  
  
  
  
… "I'm friend! A…friend of Boromir!" Holly yelled at the guard. He eyed her suspiciously and nodded. He shouted an order and the doors opened. City people stopped to look at her and all stepped aside. Mornie was very intimidating and so was this woman who wore pants and a sword at her side. She carried a very strange pack on her shoulder and even wore odd shoes!  
  
Holly looked sullenly at the people as she passed. When she reached the steps to the castle of Gondor, a row of soldiers stepped in her path. She sighed…this wasn't going to be very hard, but it was annoying.  
  
"I've let you pass. Now, I demand proof of your alliance!" the guard from the Gates yelled in her ear. Normally, this would scare a woman, but Holly just rolled her eyes. She held up her ring finger and they gasped.  
  
"I'm Holly. Boromir's Holly," she said, peeved. The soldiers immediately moved out of her way and then closed ranks again when Mornie tried to follow. Holly turned around and yelled at him.  
  
"Hey! Let him through! He's a friend! He's harmless…I think!" Holly spat at him. She stopped and smiled mischievously when Mornie jumped over them all with one easy leap. She turned around to congratulate the wolf and gasped, nearly tearing up…  
  
  
  
  
  
"Holly…" Boromir said, paralyzed. She was right there, in front him. He had stopped, mid-stride. She was tattered and bruised…cuts and scrapes. Her eyes were just the same, though…  
  
Faramir nearly ran into the back of his brother, but stopped when he noticed no one speaking. Not one voice rang out. The beautiful in front of them must have been Holly. She was almost as Faramir had imagined…the only difference was she had a big…frightening…wolf thing with her. Faramir back up slightly as Boromir stumbled forward…  
  
  
  
…"Boromir! I thought you were dead!" Holly cried. She ran to him and felt him cringe as she pressed against his wound. Still, she wouldn't let go, but eased up slightly.  
  
"I wasn't sure if your lungs still drew breath either," Boromir sobbed into her hair. They stood like that for what seemed hours. Warmth neither had felt for nearly two weeks. The uncertain cold of anxiety was replaced by the heat of affection…  
  
  
  
…She's alive!  
  
…He's alive!  
  
  
  
…I love you, Holly…  
  
…I love you, Boromir…  
  
  
  
A/N: CHAPTER FIFTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!! 


	51. Relief and Disappointment

Disclaimer: Jeepers Creepers…  
  
A/N: Sorry it took so long to write this…I've preoccupied…  
  
Time: Relief and Disappointment  
  
  
  
Rachel pushed Mordil faster than ever. She could hear the Ents and Orcs fighting in Isenguard already. They were maybe twenty miles off. Her senses were nothing compared to Legolas' yet, but she would gradually get them. Mordil could sense the battle and rushed. It was no more than five minutes until they were upon them and the beast couldn't wait to kill something in link with Mordor. They had done this to him…  
  
"Mordil! There!" Rachel yelled over the rushing wind, pointing toward two small figures sitting by the entrance to Saruman's tower. A large Ent, what Rachel guessed was Treebeard, stood protectively in front of them and easily batted away any Orcs who strayed too close. Mordil noticed them and leaped to the occasion…literally. He sailed over the slain Orcs at the edge of the battle scene and slid sideways on the muddy ground, sending bloody dirt flying away from his hooves dramatically (he was, after all, larger than average horses). His hooves made drums against the ground, deep and strong. He stopped and stood with his legs spread apart for balance on the slippery earth, catching his breath. His black coat was covered in sweat and his red eyes were glazed over with exhaustion. Rachel's hair had come apart and now it blew in the dry breeze. She looked so comfortable and powerful on Mordil's back. The raw silver rays of moonlight hit her face and made her look so valiant…a hero…that Pippin stood, mouth open and took a step forward. Merry took the pipe from his mouth and stared, unblinking at her. All at once, time sped forward and the battle around them raged again.  
  
"You guys okay?!" Rachel asked, jumping off of Mordil. An orc ran at her and Mordil nearly kicked its head off. She didn't even blink.  
  
"Rachel!" Pippin yelled with joy. He ran forward and hugged her around the middle. The elf, despite herself, smiled and hugged him back slightly. She was so glad they weren't hurt or worse…she had never been completely sure if the books would prove truthful. After all, Boromir was still alive…  
  
"Where's Holly?!" Rachel yelled over the war cries and creaking branches and wooden humming. Pippin hugged her once more and wiped a tear away from his face. He had been so afraid that she was…She was like a big sister to him! Merry approached them and gave Rachel another hug. He was happy she was alright. She wasn't nearly as close to him as Holly was, but they were still friends. Almost family, but not quite. There was always the chance that Rachel would go on a killing spree…  
  
"Well?! Where is she?!"  
  
"She went to Gondor!" both hobbits yelled at the same time. Rachel's jaw slacked.  
  
"She's okay?!"  
  
"Yep! She's kickin' ass too!" Pippin told Rachel. He was proud of himself for using the phrases the two women used often. Rachel eyes were wide for a moment, but they soon turned into laughs. That was something she hadn't expected.  
  
"Gondor, you say?" Rachel said to herself. She ran straight into Treebeard and he looked at her with affection.  
  
"Hooooorrrrrrrrruuuuuuuuummmmmm…………….You are the one that….Pippin talks aboooouuuuuuuut?" he said. Rachel looked up at him nodded and bowed.  
  
"At your service, Treebeard!"  
  
"You know my naaaaaaammmmmme?" he said, his limbs loosening slightly and snapping as an Uruk-hai came forward. He flew across the battle field.  
  
"Yes. It's a long story and as much as I know you like such tales, I'm afraid I don't have time to tell you of it," Rachel apologized. The Ent nodded and pointed to Gondor, knowing that's where she'd want to go. Rachel smiled, saluted him, and jumped atop Mordil again.  
  
"Where are you going?! You just got here!" Pippin yelled. He didn't want to see her go. He was so happy to see her and now she had to leave again. It was depressing.  
  
"I have to find Holly. I want to see her alive myself!" Rachel yelled at him. Pippin was at the brink of a break down and his elven friend could tell. She sighed and climbed off of Mordil. She kneeled in front of her hobbit buddy and he embraced her tightly.  
  
"You can't go again!" he sobbed. She pulled him off of her shoulders and kissed him lightly on the cheek.  
  
"You'll see me in Gondor. I promise. Now, the others will be by here sometime soon, so just, do what your gut tells you to do. Whether that be hit an orc on the head with a frying pan (earlier scene with Sam) or skewer one with that sword of yours is up to you. Just...take care of yourself and always make people smile," she told him. Rachel looked at him and he nodded, chuckling between sobs.  
  
"She left about four hours ago," Merry said quietly. Rachel gazed at him and bobbed her head once.  
  
"Take care of each other, okay? I mean, you've done a wonderful job so far, but I see you guys making something big out of yourselves," Rachel analyzed. They stared at her. Whenever Rachel said something to do with the future, it normally was true. They blushed and watched Rachel finally mount Mordil. He was anxious. They sped away toward the stars in the Eastern horizon. Pippin waved. Another friend off to what may be their demise…when would this madness end?  
  
A/N: Awwwwww……….so cute! 


	52. Irritation

Disclaimer: Body—in –pain…….must—type………mus--*zonk ZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZz…  
  
A/N:I'm glad ff.net's been down because I've been gone so none of you can get mad at me for not updating….yay….sleeeeeeeeeeeeeep….  
  
Time: Irritation  
  
Most of the men rode in silence and stared anxiously at the setting sun (the battles they would ensue upon would be fearsome), but none of them matched the desperate gaze Legolas held toward the West…toward Isenguard. She went there on her own…she… "What troubles you, Legolas?" Gimli asked, riding up beside the elf. He sighed worriedly and resumed his glare. "You already know what plagues me," he said quietly. Never had he felt this horrid. His gut told him to ride off toward her, but he knew that she would be too far ahead. He was in desperate want of her. She was so important…never to be his…  
  
"We're going into battle against the Dark Lord! Cheer up and count the orcs you slay at our next battle!" Gimli said cheerfully. Legolas looked down at him and smiled ever so faintly.  
  
"I wish I could. Rachel is…gone. I'm not sure whether she breathes or not and it troubles me a great deal. The burden of worry and guilt is the worst I've ever felt," Legolas confided in his smaller friend. Gimli practically stood atop his horse to speak to the elf. They had recently become good allies and the dwarf was despaired as well, but war was near…there was no time…  
  
"Legolas…she's a warrior. Rachel can handle herself. We all know she can." Just then, an unwelcome face appeared beside them. Èomer smirked at Legolas and the elder's fists and jaw clenched in silent hatred. Gimli turned and mumbled at the sight of the heir to the Mark's throne. He was a poor choice indeed.  
  
"What do you want?!" Gimli snapped. Èomer nodded his head in "respect" and sat straight in his saddle. Legolas' head lowered in a threat and he growled…his eyes like ice. He seemed more of a beast than the elven prince that he was.  
  
"Rachel has been very senseless. To run off toward Saruman's towers is absurd! She won't survive unless by a miracle!" he exclaimed loud enough for much of the closest troop to hear. Gimli then too rumbled in his throat, but Legolas did not. He choked on it. It was very true. He remembered not even a day ago, she was knocked to the ground and given bruise to her face and wound to her head. They had let her leave unhealed! How daft of them! How dumb of Legolas… "The woman can take care of herself!" Gimli cried defensively. He was still atop his horse and at eyes level with Èomer. The man laughed cruelly and Aragorn and Gandalf looked back at them.  
  
"She is a soldier and a damned good one, Èomer. If you please, I'm sure Rachel would have no qualm against challenging you," the wizard said strictly. He reminded Aragorn of a grandfather scolding a child. Èomer rode ahead and joined Theoden. Legolas relaxed slightly, but had to choke his tears into his throat. Without avail, a sob spilled from the elf's lips and his shoulder shuttered slightly…  
  
"Rachel…be alright…please…be safe…"  
  
A/N: sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep 


	53. Sweet Sorrow

Disclaimer: lala  
  
A/N: Urg  
  
Time: Sweet Sorrow  
  
  
  
Holly was consumed in happiness…but it was drenched with guilt. Boromir! He was alive! Oh what great, sweet-sorrow (as Shakespeare would have said)! She was safe. He was safe. But…the others…Rachel…  
  
"My love…something's wrong…" Boromir said to Holly. He knew how she felt and had the same dread coursing through his body. They had been sitting together all night, staring at the stars on the Northwest tower. Holly had been asleep but had recently awoken to the rhythm of Boromir's heart against her ear. His arms were wrapped around her protectively. She sighed and looked up at him…he was so wonderful. He knew everything about her and yet…knew none of her truly. So close was he to her soul…  
  
"Rachel…I've not seen her for weeks. It worries me," she told him truthfully. Although Holly had a disliking towards Legolas, she was even troubled by his absence. In truth, she had never gotten passed the first book in the LOTR trilogy. She had no clue what was in store for her friends.  
  
"I know your remorse…but I'm sure Legolas will take care of her, dear."  
  
"I sure of it…he's like a little fricken puppy…following her around, obvious in love with her…she never even noticed…not once…" Holly rambled as sleep overtook her again. Boromir stared lovingly at her fluttering eyelids while she tried to sleep. He couldn't imagine what it felt like to possibly loose such a close friend…he only knew lost love. As he sighed and stared off into the twilight sky, a small figure in red upon a black steed rushed toward Gondor…  
  
Boromir let his mind slip…no more hallucinations…his love was back and if anyone came, then Faramir would be sure to let them pass…  
  
A/N: Can you tell that I'm practically asleep? This chap was ALL about sleeping...*yawn 


	54. Arrival

Disclaimer: Blah  
  
A/N: Neener neener neeeeeeeneeeeerrrrrr  
  
Time: Arrival  
  
Rachel still had no idea she was in a red slip. It had never dawned on her. Her head made her nauseated and Mordil noticed, so he slowed. The elf urged him forward. Rain began to pour down on them. Gondor was in sight for the great beast. Rachel, however, couldn't see a thing. Her concussion was feeling worse than ever and as far as she knew, Gondor was a little pink sand castle. All she remembered was that that was where Holly was.Although Rachel doubted she would stay in anything that was pink. Mordil was glad for the water falling around him. He wasn't nearly as tired as he would have been if he weren't from Mordor, but Rachel was the best rider he had ever had on his back. She had to stay safe. If he began to sweat at all that night.it was from worry for his master. "Ow," Rachel said, closing her eyes. It was a migrane. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Sayin that word over and over again made her feel better, believe it or not. Mordil's ears swept back upon his brow. She was mumbling something he didn't understand. He sped faster, but not without caution. Rachel couldn't afford to fall from his back. The gates were already in front of them. Mordil slid on the mud. In his haste, he hadn't paid attention to the approaching shadow of Gondor. A guard heard the horses whinney and poked his head out from the watch tower. He saw Rachel laying on the ground awake, but not wanting to move or unable. He hailed down to her and she called back up, crawling back to Mordil who was kneeling for her as low as he could. She climbed back on and the guard immediately opened the gate. This woman may have weapons, but she didn't seem battle worthy at the moment. For the second time that day, the soldier met a woman at the entry road. "Are you alright, ma'am?" he calledup to her. Rachel closed her eyes. Migrane.not nice. "No, but I'm okay. Is Holly here?" she asked, realizing the comment on her health made no sense. She shook her head and fell sideways, the guard caught her and dragged her under a small outcrop of a bar. Rachel looked up and shrugged him off of her. Maybe a good bottle of Tylenol would help.aw, damn.this was Middle-earth.Okay, make due with what you got, right? "Whiskey." "Excuse me?" the guard asked. He was shivering from the look in Mordil's eyes. He could tell the beast was a dark beast. Perhaps the woman wasn't meant to be here. "Spirits! Very strong spirits!" Rachel yelled at him. Owie was all she could really think of. The guard nodded and pounded at the pub's door. A chubby bartender answered and brought some as soon as he saw the woman laying but a yard away from him. "Here.drink this.what has happened to you?" the guard asked awed. Rachel gulped the strong stuff down and her headache began to get dull. The pint she had been given was emptied quickly. "Long story. Is Holly here? And Boromir? Did he make it back?" she asked desperately. The guard nodded and Rachel struggled to stand. She did eventually and noticed she hadn't been wearing shoes. Her weapons were all snug on Mordil's back.her friend was standing, soaking in the rain and she bid him come under shelter. "This is an evil beast," the guard tried to warn her, but he was thrown off. Mordil nuzzled against Rachel's shoulder to offer her some balance. "He's caring enough for me. You haven't answered my questions." "They're both here. Safe as possible in these times. I will take you to the infirmirary before you see them," the soldier said. He held a hand out to her and she wrapped hers around his neck as he half dragged her across the road to a large wooden building. Mordil even followed them inside. Many of the patients stared and backed away except for one man. He was the doctor. "A blow to the head. How long ago did this happen?" "Uh.twenty four hours ago." "One full day!" "I've been through worse.up and at 'em tomorrow morning," Rachel mumbled. The guard was about to leave when Rachel called out to him. "Your name?" "Lieutenant Meridel Thorn at your service. And you are?" "Sergeant Rachel Gwyneth ConawayBennison," she struggled to say. Meridel nodded his head and left to give the news to Faramir. Surely the youngest of rulers would be awake at this hour.  
  
A/N: Neck-cramp..owie.... 


	55. Just Like Milk

Disclaimer: Enya is nice......  
  
A/N: My boys are looking at me strangely right now.I'm listening to Enya which is a change from my usual hard rock.uh oh.I think I'm being commited to a mental institution as we speak. Better right this chapter quick, eh?  
  
Time: Just Like Milk  
  
Mordil snorted when a young man strolled into the room. He had finally found some sleep and then this man had to awake him and Rachel. How inconsiderate.probably not even a decent rider either. "Where is Rachel?" he asked, looking around the room with relaxed urgency. Mordil stood and nodded his head toward his sleeping master. She shouldn't be woken, but it seemed as though her eyes were already wide open. Mordil sighed with agitation.that was the fourth time in three hours someone had made so much noise and Rachel needed her rest. Mordil needed his rest! For Lawks sake! "Are you Rachel?" the man asked when he went to the elf's side. She rolled her eyes with irritation, but decided now wasn't the time to be soft. She sat up in bed and muttered to herself. "Must I always be?" she whispered. Her hair fell in tangled locks to her face. The ward was dark any how, but Faramir could see that his brother wasn't lying when describing her appearance. Very beautiful, but strict in her ways. Already, she was blocking out the pain of an aching head. Her eyes were somewhat cold.like storm clouds. Just as Boromir had said. "You are then! My name is Faramir, but from what I've been told, you already know my kinship. I'm glad to see you and so will my brother and his fiance, Holly!" Faramir said. He sat in a chair beside her and looked at her strangely. She seemed to be thinking really hard about something. Helm's Deep wasn't far ahead of Rachel's companions. They would fight fiercely and win, but she just hoped that the trilogy held up its end of the bargain. Hopefully, her friends would survive. "What the.?! Elven ears?! You are an elf?!" Faramir said, noticing the point protrude from Rachle's hair. She stared at him with groggy eyes.confused, almost. Shaking her head, which made it worse, the elf gulped. "Yeah.um, I'm an elf." "No wonder Boromir said you were the elven prince's!" Faramir exclaimed. Rachel gawked at him. Elven prince? Who?.foggy.thoughts.who was a prince? "Legolas was his name, correct?" Rachel lifted a finger in protest, but let it drop dumbly to her side. He was a prince. That had completely escaped her mind. Oi. A prince who rode horses like no other and had skills and more than enough stamina.Rachel was turning red. Thoughts like that had never crossed her mind before.maybe it was an elf thing.Faramir raised his eyebrow and looked at her with knowing eyes and his arms crossed. He almost had that fatherly look on his face meant for when a teenaged girl was telling him about her first date in highschool. "Some strong ale to help the migrane," Rachel said, making excuses for herself. He cocked his head to the side. Migrane? Those were.what? Forget about the dazed look on the woman's face. What was a migrane? Faramir loved learning new things. He was very curious. "Nevermind.I'll get it myself," she said quietly. Vaguely, Rachel recalled the pub across the main street. The beer there was more than satisfactory for numbing a blow to the cranium. That was something Rachel loved about Middle-earth. It was one thing.but not the only thing. "Let me attend to you," Faramir said speeding out the door. He ran to the pub, sheltering his head and walked in, greeting the bartender earnestly. "Wha'd'ya need?" he asked, cleaning a mug. Faramir looked at the selection and pointed to a bottle of sweet ale. "That' s not gonna work, Faramir," Rachel said from behind. He nearly jumped and turned to her. Amazing.she was knocked out cold not more than two hours ago! How could she stand doing this all the time? During war, yes, but when she was safe behind a city's walls? Why not let others tend to her? "Why not?" he asked, holding the bottle out in front of him. "Too weak. Hey, tender.you got any guiness Stout?" she said, sitting at the bar head. Stout was very strong liquor (A/N: emphasis on very) and most of the men in hearing range nodded in approval and astonishment. They made way for her at the counter and Faramir stood behind her, handing the sweet ale bottle to a passer-by. "Yeah.it'll cost yeh. It's the best stuff I got," the bartender said to her reaching for a small mug behind her. Rachel shook her head and pointed to the bottle. "I'll take it all. I hope this is good enough," she said, throwing a solid silver star on the counter. The men around her snorted and laughed at the payment. Even Faramir laughed. "What's this?" the tender asked, laughing. "Pure silver.a weapon if you'd rather. I have more than enough to spare one," she told him. The put it under his teeth and bit down. It held up and he handed her the bottle. "That's more than enough to pay fer that there bottle. You want anythin' else, ma'am? That is, if yeh can still after drinking that," the tender asked her. Rachel growled.the noise in the pub was almost unbearable and a need to be drunk was in her highest demands. She popped the top with a swiss army knife and downed a quarter of a bottle. The pipe that was in the bartender's mouth fell tot he floor. "That's quite a swig you got there lady! You'd run me up!" he bellowed. Rachel glugged the rest of the bottle and threw it behind her, making a scrunched face. The look immediately went away. "Damn!" the elf said to herself. Faramir looked at her with amazement. "What?" "I forgot." "What?!" "I'm Irish.I can't get drunk." "What?!!" "Maybe that's why I don't drink." Rachel thanked the guy behind the counter and walked back to the door. Faramir was close by, ogling in her wake. He followed her back to the infirmerary and sat down in his chair while she counted her remaining stars. She only had twetny four left. When they had started, she had fifty. Damn. "Well?" Faramir asked. She wasn't even dazed. "There' sgood news and bad news," Rachel told him, not removing her eyes from the silver hand razors strewn on her bed. "Yes?" She sighed and looked at him. "Bad news. I have a little over half of my stars left." "What are stars?" Rachel got up and Mordil did too. He knew she'd be alright now. Her condition had improved dramatically. She began putting his saddle back on and strapping her weapons on. She had to find a stables somewhere. Oh wait.Faramir would, of course, know where the stables were.duh, Rachel. Faramir decided the woman wasn't going to say anything about her "stars." The younger of Denethor's sons shook his head. "And the good news is?" "My headache's gone."  
  
A/N: snoozin'.waitin' for the "men in white" to pick me up. Um.is it a bad thing that my XO is walking towards me slowly with a tranquilizer gun? 


	56. Boo!

Dislcaimer: "D'OH" is how Homer Simpson would put it, I think.  
  
A/N: Okay.Bryan didn't get near me with the t-gun. Yay. I think he was shooting for Smoochy who's dancing in the corner of my quarters.  
  
Time: Boo!  
  
Holly woke up alone on the tower the next morning. She saw a wild flower in her hand and laughed. Boromir was such a romantic when he wanted to be. He must have had business ruling Gondor. That had to be it. Stretching, Holly stood. She was all smiles.nothing could ruin such a beautiful day. Looking out at the mid-morning sky, the soldier heard Boromir's voice. The tower was, after all, one of the lower spires in the castle. Faramir could be heeard as well. And so could the name Rachel. "Rachel?" Holly said to herself. She looked over the edge and saw her standing there.but it had to be a mirage. Rachel was wearing a slip. A red slip. Aw, hell, who cared?! Rachel was there! Holly ran down the stairs and dashed around a few corners, nearly running into an elderly servant. She sprinted out the doors and ran straight for her friend. "RachelRachelRachel RachelRachelRachel RachelRachelRachel!!!!" she yelled over and over. It was unbelievable. She was there.right in front of he- Rache had turned. There was a very nasty bruise on her cheek along with several cuts. Her knuckles had been torn apart and there was a small ut gruesome gash on her forehead. "Holly!" Rachel said without hesitation. They embraced strongly and Holly wiped away a tear. What had Rachel gone through to get here? Rachel followed her line of sight mentally and shouted. "Oh that?! No biggy." "Where have you been?" "Huh?" "I was so worried!" Holly screamed. She nearly burst into tears, but she found them humiliating and held them back. She was mad at Rachel momentarily for letting herself get hurt. But then.there was a new glow aroudn her old friend.wait a sec. "What went on between you and Legolas?" Holly asked, hands on hips. Rachel stared at her wide-eyed. She had almost forgotten about the "human lie detector." There was no way she could- "Could it be?! Did you finally rock the Casbah!?!" Rachel nearly fell to the floor. That was not what she had anticipated. Then again, it was comforting.Holly was as unpredictable as ever. Also, there was a feeling of want under it all.maybe Holly voiced what had been running through her friend's mind all along.Rachel shook her head. Holly was glowing. Did she finally get something right with Rachel?! Possibly?! "No! What made you think that?!" Holly's smile faded slightly with childish disappointment. She sighed. "You look different. You have that glow, ya' know?" Rachel looked desperately from face to face. No body else caught on to what Holly had asked about. They all looked utterly confused. "He had to have done something!" "I'll tell you later," Rachel whispered in her friend's ear. Holly jumped for joy and they entered the caslte for brunch. Both women recapped their journeys since their parting.  
  
A/N: Hopefully, you all know what "rock the Casbah" means.otherwise, it's the same as rearranging furniture, jumping bones, rumbling the jungle, having coffee, and my least favorite phrase "doing it." Now ya' know! (I mean if you didn't before.) 


	57. The Kiss

Disclaimer: Who-haw!  
  
A/N: Yay.I'm in Georgia visiting family.away from the psychos with t-guns (*ahem.Bryan) Man, tomorrow I'm getting a masoos down here.my back hurts from training.owie.  
  
Time: The Kiss  
  
Rachel woke up to Holly's eager eyes in her face the next morning. She was sitting Indian style on a small chair smiling braodly at her newly awakened friend. Rachel would have liked to skewer her. "Did I scare you? Holly asked slyly in a singsong voice. Her eyes were enormous discs of child-like curiousity. Rachel shook her head and laughed to herself. Holly was stuborn as hell. She had been bugging Rachel all night. Holly had moved an inch since sundown! "You're not going to give up, are you?" the elf asked. Holly just stared at her, her face unmoving from its devious smile. Anytime now, Rachel would crack. The woman blinked slowly and sat, pretending to be patient. "So? What happened: Gikky asjed, Racgek sughed and smiled happily. She couldn't help it. She felt like a love-sick school girl. Rachel jumped. Holly had poked her in the ribs. "Tell me!" Holly yelled, her impatience appearing on her grinning face. Rachel would give in very soon. 5.4.3.2.1.blast off! "He.He kissed me. That' s all," Rachel said, remembering. Holly laughed joyously. "Ha! I knew something happened! I knew it!.So." "Yes?" Rachel said cautiously. Holly had become somber all too suddenly. In an instant, the elf's friend was jumping on the bed, practically dancing with anticipation. "Tell me everything! I want all the details!"  
  
  
  
"I meant only to brush against her lips, but something held me to them. I.I am grateful she is away and hopeful she if safe," Legolas finished. The army had taken rest for a few hours. Gimli and Aragorn relaxed after their companion's tale. The ranger, however, still looked troubled. "What you felt is Elven love, as I'm sure you already knew. Desire beyond what Man can feel. This may be more troublesome than you imagine." Legolas already felt the consequences of Rachel's departure. One thing intoxicated him more than anything else.It had lingered for so many hours and dwindled still. "Legolas? What is the matter?" Gimli asked his companion. "She.She tasted of.of honey," the elf whispered, touching his mouth lightly. Gimli sighed with amusement.Elves. "Rest. Perhaps that will keep your mind away from her, my friend," Aragorn said quietly. He knew it wouldn't, but what other escape was there? Then again.dreams of the elven kind could be an emotional prison.  
  
A/N: Again, I say, sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep. 


	58. Rest

Disclaimer: Ugh...  
  
A/N: I'm a tai tai monkey.  
  
Time: Rest  
  
.She lay in the bed from Rohan. It seemed to him that nothing but she existed. Her skin was bare save the one silk sheet that covered her, but hardly. A whisper on the wind. Could it be? His name? She called it softly, a witch enchanting her victim. Nea, he was no victim. This was something he knew he longed for not so deep under the cloak of his skin. He could smell her excitement, heavy in the air. Her breath was raspy and quick, but not from sickness. Again, nea. Her sickness was him. She desired him. His own lungs seemed to constrict. His name she called a second time, louder still. Her voice was desperate.in need.in lustful loneliness. His knees gave way. Her back arched. A bridge of pure pleasure.  
  
Legolas awoke sweating and shivering with more ferocity than he could ever remember coming to him in the past. Never before had he dreamt such.such unbelievable fantasies. She was.soul consuming. His every thought, gesture and word revolved around her. If only she would be there, in the camp upon Orthanc, he would.what? Just the thought of her sleeping.of her breathing..made his body tighten in preparation for something he couldn't have. Aragorn was right. Elven love could not be ignored.only cured. A poison, both sweet and beautiful, but heart shattering if left unappeased. "Rachel.I.I must have you, but I will not take you. Please..Please have me. Otherwise, my life will surely end in pain equal to my heart being torn from my person and shred to pieces. I.I cannot take anymore of this!"  
  
A/N: Lustful, eh? *Yawn *.Tai tai monkey is me. 


	59. Rest II

Disclaimer: No poseo cualquier cosa. Va el away (can't remember).  
  
A/N: must.keep..eyes.open.hehehe.sesame.open sesame.*smacks self.goose feather pillows!  
  
Time: Rest II  
  
"Legolas!" Rachel awoke with a jerk. Holly popped her head in the doorway. She had been moved to the castle after her concussion was cleared as an okay. It had already been two and a half week.According to the books, they would be there in about four days. "That's the eighth time you've done that this week and it's only Tuesday!" Holly shouted walking into her friend's chambers. Rachel tilted her head sideways. "Done what?" "Say Legolas in your sleep. Very passionately, I might add." Rachel looked awestruck. She hadn't talked in her sleep for over a decade. Holly told her breakfast was ready, Rachel nodded and put a hand on her brow. It was shaking horribly. That made no sense to the elf. She hadn't had nightmares.She had had amazing dreams of.never mind. "Push it from your head. You're acting like a girl," she told herself. Touching her lips, Rachel was reminded of his sweet taste. She remembered an old Gaelic saying: Honeysuckle grows on the loveliest of trees.  
  
A/N: Garg!!! OKAY.BRYAN GET AWAY FROM MY QUARTERS.*hits lt. on head* That's better. 


	60. Blah

Disclaimer: Eat, drink, and be merry! For tomorrow we shall die!  
  
A/N: Hi.  
  
Time: Blah  
  
Faramir had been meaning to talk to Rachel. She had said hat they'd be there in abut two days or less. Faramir had overheard her talking to Holly. They had already taken Orthanc and Gandalf made sure that Saruman wouldn't cause anymore trouble. But still. She seemed disturbed by something. Legolas, no doubt. Faramir, being the youngest and most inquisitive wanted to know more. "Rachel!" he yelled, catching her attention as she practiced throwing her stars. She turned around and smiled sadly. "Yeah?" "I was hoping to talk to you." "About?" "Well.Legolas." Rachel's eyes widened and she seemed to momentarily stop breathing. Her hand shook slightly and she blinked a few times before nodding. "Yes?" "Tell me about him! Boromir gave poor descriptions of everyone in your party," Faramir lied. He was just hoping for some new piece of information to store away in his journals. "Um.what do you want to know? Appearance, skill, lineage, accomplishments?" ".Appearance." Faramir knew this was something most women hung up on. He grinned at his own cleverness. "Golden silver hair to his shoulder blades. His eyes are blue, but angry thoughts makes them ebony. He is lean and tall with a defined jaw. He moves swiftly and quietly and always has control over his actions as far as I've seen," she said to him. She didn't want to think of the elf. That was the least detail she could give Faramir. Anymore and he'd know what she felt and just how strongly. Rachel accidentally on purpose forgot to mention that his neck was finely sculpted and his ears were one of the very things that teased her so. She also didn't say aloud that his arms were strong, but his hands were gentle. And that his lips tasted of honey and his eyes mesmerized her and his posture made her feel weak and his silence made her wish she was his and. "Are you alright?!" Faramir yelled astonished. Rachel had fallen on her knees. Her breathing was hard and jagged. The young man thought he had hurt her, but she remedied that thought by immediately standing. Too many thoughts. They had been getting worse and more desperate. Every time her mind roamed to Leg--. another quake of her body. "Uh huh. I'm dehydrated.I just need some water." And Legolas, if he still lives.  
  
A/N: As you can see..I'm speeding through this extremely fast..I don't wanna write much right now, but I've pumped out ten chapters in twenty four hours.huh.strange. 


	61. Messengers

Disclaimer: It is always darkest before the dawn.  
  
A/N: I'm listening to some really awesome music right now.Bond.check it out if you like new age instrumental!  
  
Time: Messengers  
  
Pippin and Gandalf sped along, through the gates of Gondor, and into the castle entrance. They were more than eager to see if their friends had survived the trip there also. "Rachel? Rachel!" Pippin yelled in hysterics. He was worried as hell about her. She hadn't seemed herself even at Orthanc. Swooning. That wasn't like her at all. "Pippin?" Holly said, watching the little man run through the hallways, screaming the elf's name. Gandalf stopped beside Holly and she squealed, giving him a hug. He laughed. "I didn't realize my company was wanted so much!" he said to her afterward. Boromir joined her and the two men embraced. "Now, before our smaller friend goes insane, where is Rachel?" the wizard asked. "You mean he hasn't already jumped the gun?" Holly asked innocently. Boromir and Gandalf stared at her blankly. She sighed and shook her head. "Never mind." "Where is she?!" Pippin said, tugging on Gandalf's robe. Holly looked down at him and for the first time noticed his white clothing. "Whoa! Starting a new trend are we? Didn't anybody ever tell you not to wear white after Labor Day?" "I'm not sure what that means, but I'll consider it a compliment," Gandalf said. He looked down at Pippin who was near tears because Rachel wasn't near. "I'm sure she'll be here in a moment," Boromir said to him as though he were a small child. The hobbit nodded and blinked his puppy dog eyes once or twice. "Who'll be here in a moment?" Rachel asked, eating an apple casually as she walked into the room. Immediately, Pippin sped across the room and clung to her. She was okay! "Rae!" he yelled with joy. "Pippin! Hey little buddy! How ya' been?!" she asked, kneeling in front of him. She was happy to see him. He sniffed once or twice and wiped away a tear on his jacket sleeve. "Fine." "So, the dark arts haven't cause any permanent damage?" she asked, realizing everyone was staring at her strangely. "How did you know?" Pippin asked, blushing. He was ashamed of his actions.using the palanthir and showing the company to Sauron. He couldn't control it! Rachel tapped her head. "I'm psychic," she whispered to him with a sisterly smile. He laughed and hugged her again. A happy reunion. Well, almost. ".He'll be the death of you, Rachel!" Holly yelled at the elf. Rachel was spacing out, thinking of a few other weary travelers that weren't due back for a few days. "Pippin," she said, staring off into space. He stopped smiling and looked at her seriously. Everyone else was immediately sobered. "Yes?" "The others. Are they safe? Have they won?" "Yes, everything is in order. And he is perfectly safe. No more than a scratch on his shoulder and a few nightmares, I'm sure," Gandalf cut in. Rachel blushed and Holly and Boromir exchanged knowing glances. Pippin looked down and squeezed Rachel's hand, which shook slightly. Faramir snapped his fingers and smiled slyly. "Ah, he means Legolas. Eh heh," he said with a very dumb, almost slurred quality to his voice. Everyone looked at the young son of Denethor and Holly smacked him on the head. "It took you that long?!" she cried. Faramir rubbed his head where a large bump was rapidly forming. "Yes, well, as joyous as this arrival was, I'm afraid I must retire to my chambers, if I may some," Gandalf said. He nodded and walked off, obviously knowing the layout of the stone structure. Pippin still held Rachel's hand and he didn't feel like ever letting go of it. "Well, uh." Holly said a few seconds later. Silence.awkward silence. "I'm gonna go back to my rooms too. I.I don't feel like being social right now," Rachel said, obviously saddened. Legolas was okay, but not at Gondor. The tension was unbearable. Pippin didn't let go of her hand and the elf let him walk back with her to her quarters. At the entrance, he stopped and she looked down at him. "Can.can I stay in here tonight? Please?" he asked with such.puppiness.that Rachel couldn't resist and nodded, laughing to herself. "Of course you can. I'm sure you're tired and well, even if I were, I wouldn't be able to sleep." "Legolas, right?" Pippin asked as he plopped down on her bed. She sat down beside him and nodded with some difficulty. "Yeah. Legolas." "Well, if it makes you feel better, he's been having dreams." Pippin said slyly, trying not to give much away. Rachel stared at him.afraid. Wh.what??? That wasn't possible, was it??? Was it?!?!?!?! "Wh.what?" Rachel said, trying to make sense of the confusion. The chaos that Pippin just ensued upon her mind was terrorizing. "I can't say anything," Pippin said, smiling, crossing his arms, shaking his head.all things that made Rachel curious. Pippin laughed, all his fear of the Dark Lord gone. He was amongst friends and only friends.ones that kicked ass. "You had better unless you wanna sleep in the stables," Rachel said lethally. Being a commanding officer was great fun. Pippin gulped and nodded. He didn't wan to sleep outside another night. "Okay.here it goes.  
  
  
  
Legolas awoke with a cry of what seemed to be pain. Pippin, awake with fear from his close encounter with the Dark Lord, ran to his elven friend with worry. "Legolas! Are you alright?!" The prince shoved him away, his hands clammy and his brow dripping with sweat. Pippin, very troubled as he was, noticed the elf's quick breath and shuttering ribcage. "I'm fine.leave," he managed to say. Pippin, determined to help in some way, sat down instead. Legolas gulped down hard on a sob. "What's wrong? You know, Rachel wasn't looking very good either when she got here. Is it an elf thing?" Pippin asked innocently. With his words, Legolas grabbed him by the shoulders and jerked hard with desperation. He seemed so frightened. "Rachel? She's hurt?! Damn! I shouldn't have let her ride! I should have followed her!" he cursed himself. Pippin then realized what was really wrong. "You.you were having dreams about.Rachel?" Pippin only interpreted part of it correctly at first. He thought Legolas had seen her die or get wounded in battle. Soon, he knew that wasn't the case. "Keep your lips sealed. I.I cannot say anything about it." "But if you saw her getting hurt, then maybe she really has been!" Pippin yelled. A snoring soldier nearby woke up, cursed the hobbit, and turned over promptly snoring again, louder. Legolas sighed in exasperation. "No! That would break me. I.I dream of quite the opposite. I.No! I can't give in to this! She.she does not share this want." Legolas stuttered. Pippin's eyes were wide and the elf put a hand on his forehead. "You love her!" "Of course I do. How can I not? She so." Legolas moaned as the emotions crept through his abdomen. He leaned over, clutching his stomach and shuddered so severely, Pippin was sure the elf was near death. "So what?" Pippin said, tilting his head. He knew what she was. He loved her too. How would Holly have put it? Rachel was out of the hobbit's league was how the woman had described it to him. "I cannot speak the words. Promise me that you'll not tell her of this? I.I can't imagine what disgust she'd have for me in return for my love," Legolas pleaded. Pippin nodded and let the elf sleep his dreams. As soon as the was away, he smirked, uncrossing his fingers.  
  
  
  
.And that's what happened!" Pippin finished. Rachel was paralyzed. Her first reaction was joy, but then, Pippin could be lying. "You.you're." "Not lying," he said, reading her mind. The elven maid nodded and tried to stand, but her knees gave way. Pippin laughed when she pulled herself off of the floor. "That hurt." Rachel said, not even realizing her body was numb with shock. "You obviously love him too! So.go rock the Casbah!" Pippin said. He had no clue what Holly's favorite phrase meant, but it made Rachel fall over. "What?!" "I don't know.Holly says it all the time, I thought it sounded appropriate," Pippin shrugged. Rachel, eyes wide, jaw slackened, shook her head and climbed onto the bed and gasped for breath. "More appropriate than you realize, Pip. Your innocence scares me."  
  
A/N: Tehe! Fun fun.A long chapter for once.you like??? 


	62. I don't have a beard

Disclaimer: don't know.  
  
A/N: Foo foo fighters!.I really hate these guys.So why am I listening to them.curious.*strokes beard*.wait.I don't have a beard.very curious.  
  
Time: I don't have a beard.  
  
Time passed.nightmares ensued Rachel.two days of wonderful, feverish hell.Legolas.his breath.his taste.his eyes.piercing hers.daggers.stars.swords.oh! She's in training.Faramir's curious questions.  
  
What is he good at? What does he remind you of from home? Is Legolas your suitor? Is he your, as Holly puts it, boyfriend? Are you sure? She says he is.  
  
Headaches.laughs.hugs from Pippin for reassurance.he had nightmares too.Sauron pursues us.he knows we're dangerous.those were their conversations.Boromir's knowing glances followed Rachel.she never left her room after dark.only sat there.looking at the moon.straining her ears.were those hooves?.his voice?!.no.just the wind.could she see Orthanc?.of course not.stop being a girl!.never.he's there.he's alive.he's gonna come to me.he's gonna give me a hug whether he likes it or not the big lug.ooh.Holly thoughts.sleeeeeeeeeeep.  
  
A/N: If you are wondering, no I'm not on drugs.I have a natural high! ^_^ 


	63. Tantrums

Disclaimer: *sigh.you know  
  
A/N: hehehe.I'm listening to the Moffats now.they look like they're fifteen.quadruplets.from Canada.hehehahaho.  
  
Time: Tantrum  
  
It was finally time to see if the two women had survived. Gimli, Aragorn, and Legolas rode to Gondor as hast as their steeds could carry them. All of them were worried, but none as frantic as Legolas. He was reckless. The day before, he had nearly tripped on a log as evident as the sun. Too many thoughts. Rachel. She had to be there! Again, Legolas asked himself what he would do if he saw her. He physically wasn't able to just walk up to her and say, "Hello, how have you faired?" There.there had to be something more behind what she felt in return! If she still felt at all. "Do not think of death," Aragorn said to the elf, reading his mind. The prince shook his head and nodded. Gondor was in the horizon.no more than a hour's hard galloping. Legolas pushed Nardil, his mare, to her fullest run. The horse gladly complied and sped away. The others ran as well.  
  
  
  
"Rachel? Rachel!" Holly yelled, walking around the courtyard. Boromir came up behind her and hugged her tight. Holly squealed in shock. "Hello, love." "Don't do that!" Holly yelled at him. The steward laughed and kissed her cheek gently. "I hacen't found Rachel. Why do you need her so?" "Today is when the others arrive, she said. I thought she'd want to be here when they got here, that's all," Holly explained. Boromir tickled her ribs and she shrieked, pulling away form him. "Tag, you're it!" he said to her, running away after ruffling her hair. Holly yelled at him again and laughed as she chased him around the courtyard playfully, completely forgetting about her missing friend.  
  
  
  
Rachel, whatever Holly had thought, hadn't forgotten about Legolas and the others. She had mounted Mordil early that morning and rode to a small village where they were to first arrive. Faramir, for some reason, followed. He never spoke a word to her and she didn't seem to notice or care that he appeared to be tied to her with a thread. "Rachel." "Hmm." "My name is Bob and I come from the Southern Hills of Mount Goathoof. I've come to ask you for your hand in marrige," Faramir said irritably. Rachel didn't even look at him. "I'm busy, not deaf," she said, sitting poised and ready on top of Mordil. "Doing what?! You haven't moved in an hour or more!" he yelled at her. Rachel snapped her head toward the younger brother of Boromir and smiled evilly. "Would you rather me do something else? I'll fight against you. Test your skills against me. My primary weapon may not be a sword, but I'm more than able to beat your ass to the ground," she said, smiling at him. Every man who heard stepped away. Rachel was not one to be trifled with when she was stressed. Faramir, however, didn't quite understand that right off the bat. "Fine then! I challenge you here and now! If you get off that blasted horse and looked at me!" he screamed. Rachel closed her eyes to shut out some of the rage, but that wasn't possible. Let's just say it was a good thing that Faramir had really good armor on. "Very well then." Rachel got off her horse and set all of her weapons aside. Faramir was expecting her to draw a sword, but she didn't. "A weapon against my hands. Let's see how good you really are," she said to him. Faramir gulped.an excuse.any excuse. "I would hurt you," he said lamely. Rachel laughed evilly, throwing her head back. "I've been up against worse, boy! And trust me, when I feel as I do, I'm more likely to break my leg trying to crack a tree trunk!" she growled. Faramir nodded nervously and drew his sword. "So be it," he said, running at her. Rachel stood, unmoving until he was almost on top of her. Immediately, she flipped him over her shoulder. He was in shock for a moment, but immediately stood again and swung his blade down toward her face. The elf, smiling cruely the entire time, lifted her hands and caught the steel between them. "You.you are good," Faramir said, realizing what he had gotten himself into. Rachel, still holding the sword nodded. "Now, it's my turn to be on the offensive," she told him lethally. Faramir barely had time to gasp when she spun and kicked him across the camp. Becoming an elf made her fighting skills that much better. And her temper that much worse. She stood still and waited for him to stand. Then slowly began to run at him. She wasn't meaning to kill him, but he didn't know that and nearly screamed when her hand went right through the tree next to his head. Hyperventilating, Faramir slid to the forest floor. Meridel sprinted to them and examined the large dent in the young one's armor. Rachel soldiers stared at her while Meridel got Faramir out of the way. And just in time. Rachel roared, ripped her hand from the bark and kicked the oak with so much force it was knocked over immiediately. "That tree was at least three centuries old! I thought elves were caring folk!" a soldier cried out. "Well, I'm not like other elves," Rachel growled. She walked away and Mordil came up behind her, nudging her shoulder gently. Rachel looked at the ground, emotions overwhelming her. She sighed, pushed them away and moutned her stallion without looking at the others. "What did she mean by that?" Meridel asked as soon as she was out of sight. Faramir swallowed hard and shook his head slightly. "All I know is that she was human and lived.somewhere else. I.I can't figure anything else out. But, I do know that something tragic happened to her.really horrific."  
  
  
  
Rachel walked around outside the village for a while with Mordil beside her. She was trying to find a stream for him to drink from. From a distance, horses' hooves could be heard, but Legolas was still several leagues away. Sometimes Rachel hated her new life. Her senses were almost misleading. And they also made her feel.guilty. Her boys.every last one of them.dead. And it was her fault and now she got to live forever?! How was that fair?! Not only that, but she had super senses.immunity to disease and all of these things that she didn't deserve. If anyone did it was her troop. She would have rather died that day.the look on those boys' faces when they died.so much loyalty to their leader. "IT IS NOT FAIR!!!" she yelled, kicking another giant tree to the floor. Mordil jumped away, frightened. He had never seen her so furried. No one had. Her glistened with death. She had to wait not much longer until the war broke out. She wanted to kill so badly that when a small rabbit passed by the grove she stood in, Rachel nearly lunged at it and ripped its head off. "If only I should die in battle."  
  
A/N: This took me about three weeks.I hate missions.I've no time to write lately.but I'll try to pick up the pace. 


	64. Before the Storm

Disclaimer: Who else hates these things??? *authors raise their hands.yeah, that's what I thought!  
  
A/N: I'm not in a writing mood right now...T_T  
  
Time: Before the Storm  
  
Legolas could hardly contain himself.He had to see her, but Aragorn was 'putting a damper' (as the women called it) on his plans of jumping from Nardil, running to her and stealing a prolonged kiss. The would have to stop at a small village. "My friend, I know you want to play the galant hero and sweep your dame off her feet at your arrival, but you cannot do such a thing," Gimli said. Legolas was startled by his words and flushed slightly. "I do not understand your words, Master Dwarf." "Look, Rachel will be glad to see you and likewise, I'm sure.but the shock.wait for your shining entrance to her heart." The dwarf's words struck Legolas as the most rivetiing thing he had ever been told. He spoke so much truth in such a small sentence that the elf found a new respect for the short-statured race. It was true.to bound into what was the heart of his beloved, Legolas would scare her away like a fawn in a grove.It had to be.for lack of a better word.  
  
  
  
"Perfect! It has to be perfect!" Boromir said, biting his nails with anxiety.a servant had been following him around the room.staring blankly at him with his jaw slack. "But.M'lord.you've already proposed marriage to the girl.what else is there to do?" "My father.he will know.but I must have her be wonderful in his presence or else he may protest our wedding. This means that she must look like a lady.My father is tolerable of fighting women, but when they're invited to feast, he expects beauty."  
  
Holly sat chomping on an apple in the middle of the training area. Her legs spread far apart, her face dirty and her clothes ragged. She wiped some apple juice onto her leggings and spat a seed out, throwing the core behind her. Boromir, seeing this, put his palm to his forehead and sighed. "What kind of woman have I doomed myself to?" "The kind that you could not live without," Pippin said from behind Boromir. The man jumped and looked down at his friend who smiled widely. "And what possessed you to sneak behind me like that?"Boromir said, kneeling in front of the hobbit. The shrugged and pulled a mushroom from his satchel. "I'm just here to watch the show!" he said, his mouth full. Boromir shook his head and laughed. "Such are the ways of hobbits. Come then, Pippin. Let us march into the storm." 


	65. SHock for lack of a better title

Disclaimer: uh.hi?  
  
A/N: I'M SO SORRY!!!! WORK HAS BEEN INSANE LATELY!!! I MEAN.C'MON, CUT ME SOME SLACK HERE WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A WAR!!! Okay.I'm done giving myself excuses.I'll be able to write more soon, just, I can't do much right now.So.Much.WORK 9_9;;;;;;;;  
  
Time: Shock  
  
"I'm right behind you, Boromir," Pippin said rather shakily. He clutched to the man's sleeve as they slowly walked toward Holly. She threw the apple core behind her and stood up, smiling at them and walked sluggishly to them. "Hey guys! How ya doin?" she said casually, as if welcoming old friends. She gave Pippin a pat on the shoulder and poked Boromir in the ribs. He flinched and Holly winked at him. "Hol, we need to talk. We're to have dinner with my father tonight and, well, I need to make sure you're ready," he stuttered. Holly laughed and kissed her fiance on the cheek. "As long as I don't wear heels, I'm okay," she said, leading both of them to their chambers.  
  
"Well, what do you think?" Holly said, walking out from behind her screen. Boromir and Pippin had been sitting on her bed somewhat awkwardly. Their jaws slumped when they saw her sleek form walk out from behind her vale, her hips swinging seductively. Boromir was fit to drool, but held himself back. He wouldn't be able to do something like that in front of his father. "Superb!" Pippin said, still awed and holding his thumb up in approval. Boromir only looked at him strangely and the hobbit shrugged. "Thank you," Holly said blushing. She spun once or twice for them and Boromir held up a pair of shoes. "Try these on." Holly stopped dead and backed away, holding her hands up in protest. Pippin tilted his head. "What's wrong?" he asked. "I'll wear the dress and almost anything else I'd need to wear to impress your dad, but I will.not.wear.heels!!!" "Why not?! It's not like they're going to chop your feet off!" Boromir yelled. Pippin giggled. He had been thinking the same thing. Holly shook her head vigorously and hid behind her screen. "I don't have balance worth shit with a pair of those on!" "Try them please. For me," Boromir begged. He had said the magic words.and gave her puppy eyes. Holly groaned and slumped forward, grabbing the heels roughly from his hands. "Fine!" She sat down on the bed and strapped the shoes on. Very cautiously, she stood up and took a few steps perfectly. Pippin and Boromir beamed. "See? It's not so bad!" Pippin exclaimed. Not a moment too soon, Holly fell on her rump and cried out in exasperation. "Well, I guess you aren't going to wear those," Boromir nodded. He and Pippin looked at each other and silently agreed that before the wedding, Holly would be able to wear those "freakin' shoes."  
  
A/N: was that a good enough chapter for you? I know it was short and all but I don't have much time (I wrote this in about five minutes.) And I gotta go fly, so I'll write more tonight maybe ^_^ Woohoo! Two chapters tonight!!! 


	66. So Long

Disclaimer: Blah  
  
Time: So Long  
  
A/N: AAAAAH.BEEN SO LONG.. YOU GUYS MUST HATE ME!!!.. SORRY!!!!!!!!  
  
Rachel walked down the main street of the village, Mordil trailing not far behind. He had kept his distance for fear of his master's instability. He had taken a few sips of water from the stream she'd pointed out, but was keeping a watchful eye on her. Something was eerie.not quite right. "Come," Rachel said quietly, searching the wood. Mordil clopped forth and the elf scratched his withers lovingly before jumping on his bare back. She had taken his saddle off quite some time ago. . "No, I don't know what it is. I'm new at this." . "Let's leave nonetheless. These trees hide more than insects in their bark," Rachel said again. She and Mordil had a quiet understanding of each other. They could both tell that Rachel was losing a part of her humanity everyday. And everyday they could hear the other more clearly. Rachel didn't hint at it in front of others, she found it almost disturbing. Holly would end up calling her Mrs. Doolittle. . "Go as fast or slow as you wish. Whatever's there is waiting with plenty of patience." Mordil nodded and kicked into gear, speeding through the trees. He was from Mordor, and even this scared him. It wasn't only a being that possessed the wood. The smell of war was thick in the air.  
  
A/N: Can you tell that what I've been doing? Hmm.yes yes.Well, I will write another one right now.I have about half and hour to do it. Okay, set the clock. I'm out to write!!! 


	67. REVENGE snicker

Disclaimer: I call.NO DIBS  
  
A/N: THANK WOOT FOR VACATIONS! I'm sorry guys.I haven't forgotten about Time, but I haven't been able to do a damned thing at all! I've been busy, if you haven't watched the news lately. And I JUST got my first vacation since the sniper incidents.  
  
Now, if you remember.we left off with Rachel in the woods, in rage, awaiting Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli. Lieutenant Meridel Thorn is also there. She has beaten Faramir to a pulp and was talking to her horse (how crazy is she anyway?) Also, Holly's fiance, Boromir (that's right, I didn't kill him.remember?) is about to confront her about meeting his father for a small dinner. Pippin is there aswell. "Just to watch the show." Now, on with the show! I'm continuing with Holly for a few chapters, and then I'll get back to the newfound elf, but I want to have some long chapters for all of you. I feel bad not writing.(Don't blame Canada, blame the government, but don't tell them I lead you to rebel.)  
  
Time: REVENGE *snicker*  
  
**  
  
"Hey, sweetie!" Holly said, standing and greeting Boromir with a hug. He patted her back and sat next to her. She didn't pay much attention to him as he stared at her. "Dear, I must speak with you. You must meet my father soon and." Boromir trailed off. He wasn't quite sure how to word what he meant to say. "And?" "And, don't take this harshly, you must look and act like a proper lady." Holly gawked at him. Boromir looked at his feet in shame. He hadn't wanted to make Holly think she was below his father's standards.but, she was. "You mean, the whole dress and heels and make up deal?" she asked, almost afraid. Her betrothed nodded and sighed. He couldn't see Holly in a dress. "I'm afraid so." "Alright then! Anything for you!" Holly said, standing up. She leaned down toward Boromir's shocked face and kissed his nose teasingly. And indeed he was shocked. He thought that Holly would fume over it, but now he realized how much of a trivial thing it was. Relieved and happy, he sighed and clapped his hands together, laughing. "Yes, very well! Now, we will have to get you to the taylor and he'll measure you for a dress. What kind would you like?" Boromir asked, overly enthused. "Red! And flowy." Holly trailed off, waltzing around the courtyard. Her lover laughed whole-heartedly and shook his head. "Just when I thought I had everything about you figured out, you turn around and pounce upon my mind again!" he exclaimed, catching her in a warm embrace. Holly tried to pull away playfully and pushed against his chest. Boromir wouldn't let her go and his smile melted away as he let his thumb trail along her cheek. "What?" Holly said, trying to lighten the mood. Boromir kissed her sweetly and put his mouth to her ear. "I love you more.than anything I've ever loved before," he whispered. Holly nearly cried with joy, but only smiled into his shoulder and nodded her head. A butterfly landed on Holly's head and she giggled childishly. Boromir smiled at her mischeviously and his wife-to-be backed away in fright. "I know that look." "Oh, do you?" He took a step closer. "That's the look you get when you-YIPE!" Holly squealed and dodged his hands. She was highly ticklish and had to lock him in the courtyard to get the "little pest of a boyfriend" away while she thought of some way to get him back. REVENGE.  
  
^^  
  
Boromir spent the next two hours banging on the door.  
  
^^  
  
He sat at the base of the door. Holly still wouldn't open it.or talk to him! She was planning somethi-"AAAARRRRRGGGHH!" Boromir yelled, standing up, soaking wet. Water had fallen from above. "Hiya Honey!" Holly waved sweetly from the courtyard wall, holding an empty pale in her hand, innocently swinging it back and forth. "I should have known you'd be UP to something," Boromir gritted. He snarled and shook his clothing dry. Holly was reminded of a wet dog as he shook his head of mangey hair. She made a mental note to take care of that soon. "Well, ya' didn't. So there.Hey, have you heard anything from your brother or Rachel?" Holly said, just thinking of the question. Boromir just shook his head and walked to the door, which, of course, had been unlocked for the past hour and a half. He climbed the steps to Holly and sat down beside her. "I'm slightly worried, but I'm sure they're fine. Faramir can watch after himself and I know that Rachel is more than capable." "Yes, but it troubles me that she'd just go off like that. It's not like he-oh wait, yes it is." Holly corrected herself irritably, sighed, and rested her chin on her fist. "Well, let's move along, it's time to visit the taylor. After all, you need to change clothes," Boromir remarked as the stood up. Holly looked at him curiously. "What are you talking about? These clothes are fine! I just put them on." Boromir grabbed her and slammed her against his chest, which was still sopping wet. "Now they aren't fine," he snickered, leading a pouting Holly down the stairs. "I hate you!" she retorted nonchalantly. Boromir laughed. "No, you don't."  
  
  
  
A/N: How do ya like it? I hope I can get all of you interested again, I've missed writing! Alas, I've no time at the moment (obviously), so just bear with me for a few more weeks. I'll have much more for you soon! That, my friends, is a promise!.... Eeep! *stoned* Don't hurt me!!! 


	68. If at first you don't succeed, Trial, Tr...

Disclaimer: We all know they aren't mine. ^_-  
  
A/N: Hello again ^^;; Yes, um, spending some time with Jake and all. *ehem* Anyhooters.I've nothing to do better than Time ^^;; Yes yes, ta-ta! *waves and exits*  
  
Time: If at first you don't succeed, trial, try again.  
  
Her dress was tailored, her hair was done, she had learned with many bruises and scrapes to walk in heels, and now she was drunk. Holly hiccuped and swayed slightly in her chair, holding her moonshine bottle in one, wavering hand. Giggling, she downed more of the alcohol and staired at the tailor. E was fiddling with his spindle and dropped it, stuttering an apology. "M'lady, I think you've had quite enough." "Nonsense! I'm a fuckin' sailor and can drink like one twice over!" she slurred back, squinting her eyes. She mumbled something about his twin being cuter than he was and nearly fell over. The tailor was, by now, pacing back and forth, sweat beads falling from his forehead. The soon-to-be-queen of Gondor was laying in her betrothal dress, drunk, and unconcious. How would he explain it to the Steward's son? "Please, m'lady, you have to wake up!" he squeaked. Afraid to touch her, he blew on her face, but then, hesitantly, shook her shoulder. Holly moaned and blared up at him. His afraid face blinked once and sighed with relief. "I'm awake. Where's the cavalry?" she said, sitting up with some effort. The tailor helped her to her feet and brushed some spots of liquor off her sleeve. "Waiting for you in the dining hall. You'd best hurry, m'lady," he said, helping Holly struggle to her feet. "I won't be able to get there by myself. Help me, pwease?" she said, giving him her best puppy eyes. He fidgeted and nodded uncertainly. "Alright, fine, but only to the doors." The tailor grabbed her arm and put it around his shoulder, being a pillar for Holly. They walked down the hallways, panting from the strain, and hardly uttering a word. The exercise quickly burned some of Holly's drunkenness away and they reached the doors to the dining hall with her walking on her own. "Wait!" she whispered, grabbing his shirt collar before he left. "Yes, m'lady?" he shook. "What's your name?" "Grenwich, ma'am." "Thanks, Grenwich," Holly smiled, patted his shoulder, and walked into the great unknown with her new friend watching fearfully after. She hiccuped once more and he flinched, shook his head, and ran away, fearful of punishment.  
  
A/N: Hi.*waves again* 


	69. Definitely Not Irish

Disclaimer: .I claim nothing.  
  
Time: Definitely Not Irish  
  
A/N: Yes, now you guys get at least FIVE chapters.9_9 I promised them to Holly for her birthday. Plus she's burning a few cds for me.*snicker*  
  
Holly composed herself and heard some chatter behind the big oak doors that separated herself and her family-to-be. A mirror in the hallway was strategically placed (A/N: funny how stories do that) and the woman checked her hair and makeup in it before walking through the doors, breathing deeply. She had gone on overnight missions drunk and flown tmocats drunk. How is meeting the in-laws any different?.Just a piece of cake.or a keg of budweiser..  
  
  
  
Holly's Diary Entry:  
  
Tonight was interesting. I mean, Denethor was nice and all, don't get me wrong. But MAN. If I were Boromir I would be shocked as all hell! His dad is really a party animal! I don't remember much, but what I do remember is the local pub.standing on the bar.singing songs? *shakes head* Well, in any case, he call sme "daughter" now! I'm sure Boromir is happy about that. Although the "fright I gave him last night" must have knocked the wind out of him. I haven't seen him yet and it's almost noon!.In other news, I had a strange dream.  
  
  
  
What really happened:  
  
Author as narator: *clears throat noisily* After several drinks at the dinner table, Holly began giggling uncontrollably when the conversation of war was brought up. A very pressing matter, as I'm sure you know. Anywho.she began ranting to the Steward.  
  
"War? WAR?! Why do we need WAR? It's messy and icky and *hiccup* very inconvenient. What with having a pub, I'm sure EVERYONE can get along. Expecially when they're wasted! *giggles some more*"  
  
At this point, Boromir and his father stared at the girl in shock. She stared at her food some, hiccuped some, even mumbled some. Then stood up, hitting the table with her palm. "You know what?! It's too quite for me in here and I'm drunk! Let's go to the local bar!" Holly declared, pulling Boromir by the shirt collar. Denethor followed slowly, bewildered by the "spunk" of his son's betrothed.  
  
Needless to say, Denethor had a night on the town while Boromir sat in the background rueing Holly for being nerve-wracking. His father had a wonderful time, gulping with his men in arms, singing old songs he had forgotten from his youthful years and sharing amateur jokes that he wouldn't be able to share anywhere else. When the night was over, Boromir's hair was thoroughly ruffled from worry and Denethor stumbled back to his room, singing and swaying a pint of ale sloppily from side to side. Holly was hanging on Boromir's limp arm, laughing and slurring about the night they had had. And then they all went their merry ways and blardidar da haminah haminah.You get the point I'm sure. ^_^  
  
A/N: Yes yes, different from the usual, but still better than nothing, right? 


	70. Bonding

Disclaimer: I'm here, not there.so I don't claim it.  
  
Time: Bonding  
  
A/N: *sigh* Today was bad. Holly in hospital.not good.yah.  
  
"Why?.Why?.Why?.Why?" Boromir whispered to himself the next morning, hitting his head on the wall repeatedly. He sighed and stopped, then began again when his head stopped spinning. His father would hate her now. She'd be banished. How could Holly be so stupid? Drunk! She knew it was the single most important thing, that dinner. It all depended on his father's thoughts, and Denethor was a strict man, for the most part. At least Holly got him to laugh. "I suppose I should bid her farewell before Father does." Boromir walked from the room and slumped down the hallway, full of misery. He feared what rage he would meet if he stood up for Holly. Then again, he knew he would be torn apart by HER anger if he didn't. Contemplating which fury would be worse, Boromir came to his fiance-soon-to-be-decapitated's room. Stopping at the door, he searched his mind for a way to break the news to her easily. "That's awesome!" Holly exclaimed from behind the walls. Boromir's ears perked up and he heard deep-throated laughter echoing through the domed ceiling of her room. The steward's eldest son decided to eavesdrop against the door and he nearly shouted in protest as he heard his father's voice, low and soothing as always. "I'd be glad to have you as my daughter-in-law, my dear. Please, take this. It was my wife's," he said, buckling a very fine bracelet around Holly's wrist. She beamed and looked at it admiringly. "Aww, thank you!" she whimpered, giving him a hug. Denethor was thoroughly beside himself with bewilderment. Where had she come from that it was custom to embrace a nobler man?! Regardless of his confusion, he patted her back and stood up after she let go. Holly went rigid a moment later and looked at the door suspiciously. Quietly she got up, hunched over slightly to make less noise. "What are you doi-" "Shh! They're watching us," she whispered, creeping crane-like to the door. With an "AH HA" she ripped the doorway open and Boromir came tumbling into the room. Holly burst out laughing while Denethor had to stifle a chuckle. Standing up hurriedly, Boromir dusted off his tunic and looked at the two bonding in-laws. "What's happened?" he said drastically. Holly was doubled over, cutching her stomach now. Denethor guffawed and shook his head. "I could ask the same thing!"  
  
A/N: Woohoo! O.o. yes, me be weirdish right now.Tooooooootles! *waves, starts to walk away and runs into a door* Ehem, I'm good. 


	71. Abandonment

Disclaimer: not mine,nope,nada  
  
Time: Abandonment  
  
A/N: Oooh.deep chapter name huh? O.o  
  
Rachel, exhausted and beaten, lay very still on a patch of moss beside Mordil. He munched on some fallen trees. Rachel sat up and looked at her legs with disgust. Bloody and torn, they could hardly hold her up with all the pain they caused her. She gritted her teeth and stood. Someone was approaching and she didn't want to be seen in this state. Quickly she limped behind Mordil so the person wouldn't see her shins and held a steadfast hand on her dagger. "Rachel!" Faramir's voice rang out. The elf slowly took her hand off of the blade. Faramir stumbled noisily into the small grove. "Hello, Faramir. What do you need?" she said, obviously not thrilled to see him. He took a step back at her look and then pushed forward. "We're leaving. My men and I at least. Are you coming with us or are you to stay and wait?" Rachel just looked away and clenched her jaw. "I'm staying," she growled. Faramir nodded and took a look at the fallen trees and the small amount of blood on the ground. Then he noticed that Rachel would not even stand to say good bye to him. He shook his head and let his hand (which had been stationed on his sword hilt) fall limply to his side. Without a word, he left the elf and her beast to ride on. One day soon enough, he would see her again, and she would not be so sour. Especially since her prince was riding towards her.  
  
A/N: Aww, so kyoot!!!!! ;v; me leaveses now. Baidibeau! *waves* 


	72. Pass The Time

Disclaimer: I CALL DIBS!!!.o.o Damn. I can't do that, can I?  
  
Time: Pass the Time  
  
A/N: Okay, now I CALL DIBS.Talk about your usual "I want the front seat of the car" deal. o.o  
  
"Two more days, Mordil," Rachel said, climbing onto the horse's back. He stood up and began walking slowly toward the village while the elf on his whithers stuck her tongue out in concentration. She needed to swing her legs around. A small whisper of a voice reached the elf's ears and they twitched. It wasn't a voice, but somehow it seemed reassuring to her. Puzzled, Rachel looked around and studied the trees swaying slightly in the golden sun. Shrugging, she whistled to Mordil and he picked up the pace.  
  
  
  
"Two days," Legolas said under his breath. He looked at the horizon and saw the very tip of some forestry in the setting sun. As the beams washed the canopy, Legolas closed his eyes and imagined her face, her touch, her voice. Everything that haunted him in his mind would soon be alive for him to see, hear, and feel with his senses. Aragorn walked up to the elf and placed a light hand on his shoulder. Legolas didn't move, didn't blink, and the man waited for some time to get a reaction, but received none. "You should calm yourself, Legolas. She'll be there, waiting for you. That's not something to take advantage of," Gimli's voice sounded from the elf's waist. He looked up at his friends, pleading quietly for them to find some rest that night. Aragorn sighed and mounted his horse once again. Legolas did so aswell and Gimli growled. "My rear is as sore as a black eye! Why can't we rest for the night?!" he cried, struggling atop his steed.  
  
  
  
Rachel jumped off her friend when they reached the village two hours later. Immediately fallin gto the ground, she cursed. "Damnit! I forgot about these shit-for-brains legs of mine." A small child from the village looked at her and reminded her of her dog when it was a puppy. She missed that dog. "Do you need help, lady?" he asked quietly, stepping a bit closer. Rachel gritted her teeth and nodded. The boy ran away and the elf pounded the dirt. She thought she had scared him away. "Excuse me, my son has just ushered me here.could we offer you some rest and healing?" a very sweet woman said a moment later. Rachel looked up at her and laughed, shaking her head slightly. "You have no idea how much that would be appreciated."  
  
  
  
A/N: Yep.*nods* o.o 


	73. Healing and Shtuff

Disclaimer: nuh uh.  
  
Time: Healing and Shtuff.  
  
A/N: Yes, hello yet again.wow, chapters have been short.I'm sorry.I hardly have time now that I'm back at work, but I'll pump another one out for you soon.  
  
  
  
The herbs the villagers used on Rachel were intoxicating, making her sleep for what seemed eternity while they administered plants to help her legs heal. She awoke later, groggy and confused. "Where am I.whe-when is it?" she said, leaning on her elbows. The same little boy who got her help stood up and smiled at her. She tried to smile back, but was too tired. "You're in Gondor.you've been asleep for two days!" he told her eagerly. He had obviously been wanting her to wake up. Immediately, she heard the words "two days" ad shot up, feeling light headed and grasping onto the bed for support. An older woman came to the rescue and pulled her back into the bed. "Relax, my lady! You have to rest!" she scolded. Rachel shook her head and got up again. "I just stood to quickly. I'm fine, really." The child and woman looked at her, shocked. Rachel walked serenely out of the room and outside, where Mordil was waiting for her. The elf smiled and smelled the air, for once happy for a bright day. She momentarily forgot everything. Her rage, her newly healed wounds, Legolas.then it all came flooding back, relentless as a storm. "He comes today.Mordil, what should I do?" she aske din a panic. The horse seemed to laugh, throwing his nose in the air. Rachel looked wide- eyed at the ground when a hand startled her.  
  
  
  
Legolas jumped from his steed and gasped when he saw her leave the house. The townspeople had directed him that way. The forest made her hair shine against the green and the glittering dust in the rays of light from the sun glittered around her. He approached her cautiously, not knowing what to expect. She didn't notice at all and all Legolas's concentration was bent on the thought of touching her. She looked at the ground and he reached out his hand.  
  
  
  
Both were silent as they stared at eachother. Rachel's lips slightly parted, she shook her head and collapsed forward in an embrace. Legolas immediately grabbed her, taking all of her into his mind. Her eyes, her breath, the tear that fell on his shoulder. No words were spoken. They didn't need to be. Mordil's eyes smiled as he watched the happy couple basking in the light of their hearts. The child and woman looked through the window, smiling. "So that's why she was so anxious." the lady said. The boy nodded and hugged his teady bear. "Will she be leaving, Nanny?" She just nodded.  
  
  
  
A/N: yea! 


	74. Insight I: That of Legolas

Disclaimer: Okay, I've been writing this for about ayear.do I really need a disclaimer anymore? I'm thinking about just.trashing it.o.o  
  
Time: Insight I: That of Legolas  
  
A/N:.o.o which reminds me.my duffle bag died today T_T  
  
For as long as he could remember, he had wanted someone to hold. He had wanted something to feel in his mind when what he felt with his hands was cold and dead. His eyes, his fingertips, his ears. They all hurt from the joy around him, caving this elf's soul into a distressed and unloved shell. Almost two thousand years without so much as a hand to hold or an ear to trust. He had repeatedly gone to Mirkwood, his room cold and unwelcoming. Now that she had appeared, mistery enticed him. She came from another world, there was no doubt. Though her world must have been that of vixens. Her scent tingled his nose, her breath twitched his ears, her touched trembled his skin. All the things he had yearned for in a wife had been found within a year of companionship. She was dependable and loyal, a queen among women. Immediately he noticed her timid limbs, how damaged they were and also noticed she complained very little, if at all. The only difference was her want of a chair or Mordil to rest upon. For two thousand years, no one had made the wheels of his mind turn so quickly or unrashly. She made his head spin with a want of his own. Knowledgable of what it was that possessed his emotion, he was reluctant. But no more. He could no longer be afraid of his own desires, the things he had sought for so many ages. However, being patient about it was hardly easy. She had to give herself to him. Otherwise, there would be no sweetness in their kiss. There would be no love, only a likeness that didn't fulfill him. He would take and take until there was nothing of her firey spirit left.  
  
  
  
A/N: Ooh.touchy! :9 


	75. Insight II: That of Holly and Rachel

Disclaimer: Ooh lala!  
  
Time: Insight II: That of Holly and Rachel  
  
A/N: Ah! L'amour! *breathes it in* It is close, no?  
  
  
  
Holly:  
  
She climbed, walked, ran, cried. It all flooded her mind, her senses. She wanted to die, feared to live. She only lived in order to die. How would this cycle end? She loved, she hated. She killed and would one day give life. It all confused her. It al swirled and twisted her mind, creating a grotesque picture of what should have been. Rachel and she would be sitting together, on the hill while Holly imagined the cows trying to trample them at night. She'd laugh, of course. Then Rachel would turn to her, smile once and roll, sleeping peacefully on her side. Holly would be awake, thinking: "When I get older, I want a family. And a cute husband, but children. Well, of course children. I want a home here, in this farm. It's mine anyway, but it's so relaxing, and I need relaxing things. Rachel can live here with us! She won't be with anyone for a while. I worry about her. I worry about the guys. Where'd they go after the war? Well, in the ground of course, but what did they feel? I didn't go, but they were my friends." Holly sat down and rubbed her ankle, which throbbed from a small fall. She had been running, walking, climbing.crying. Sounds. Voices and screams. She heard them all. She hadn't been there, she didn't know what happened, but maybe that would have given her closure. Maybe she would have liked to know what happened to her soldier family. But instead she had to listen to it. Every moment of the screaming, the shouting.then the silence. The.the unimaginable relief that she had been stationed on the radio at base instead of in the front lines. The disgust and vomiting and ensued her. How could she be so selfish?! Her best friend was more than likely dead. Her combat brothers were gone, dying, in pain. There was nothing she could do more than send a message for backup. When they were carted away, she didn't see them, didn't smell them, touch them.The only thing on her mind was Rachel. She was alive. Even more, she was watching a man die.How could she and still keep a poker face? At that instant, Holly wanted Rachel to die, wanted her cold, steel heart to be blown apart. Holly fumed, watched the man, Bryan, die form a distance simply because she couldn't get near that treacherous friend of her's. Then she saw the face. Saw the anxiety and failure and hated herself. To think, she wanted her best friend dead! And for what?! She was strong.strict.with a stick up her ass about most things. But that didn't matter.she DID care. Now Holly had something, had love. She was happy with Boromir, a man she could never see herself without. But soon, he would be marching into battle. She could loose him. Well this time, Holly wasn't going to stand by and watch the front lines! She would march right alongside and fight the good fight!  
  
  
  
Rachel:  
  
  
  
It was amazing what a little thing it was. His one finger could send shockwaves down her cheek. His absence nearly broke her heart. Why would this happen to her? Again? And war was on the horizon. It would happen again. Holly would have her Boromir and Rachel? Legolas would be the cash in for their happiness. Well, that wasn't going to happen. It wouldn't happen. No, not ever again. Rachel would not fail again. It was hard to think about when Legolas spoke to her in Elvish. She stopped fighting it and leaned her head against his shoulder, soaking his scent into her senses. It was bliss. He was there. He was real. And for once, she felt safe. She knew she would be in his arms again before the end of the lighted day. Rachel closed her eyes and attoned herself to his heartbeat, making them one. One tear fell, and that was enough to start a flood. The couple, in eachother's arms, fell to their knees, Rachel's cheeks lined with watery streams. It was real. She had to repeat to herself that she wouldn't loose another love to the torrents of war. This was her hour of romance. Her dozen roses. It was her.her husband.  
  
  
  
A/N: Ooh.Compare Legolas to Rachel, yah? Hmmm hmmm.wife, husband.what am I sayin' here? Find out soon if you're thick headed! 


	76. Insight III: That ofereveryone else

Disclaimer: boombop  
  
  
  
Time: Insight III: That of.er.everyone else ^^;;  
  
A/N: don't mind my yelling please *clears throat* HOLLY YOU SPELLED MY NAME WRONG IN YOUR STORY I'M GONNA KILL YOU.*ehem* Thanks! ^_^  
  
  
  
Aragorn:  
  
  
  
Legolas was in fever. This made his friend worry. How could an elf stand such need for their love? Was this how his love, Arwen, felt when he was away? The elves in Mirkwood never seemed to act this rashly when away. How. Aragorn had known Legolas for his entire life. An elf of meditation and patience, this was hardly like him. Watching him speed away for the ability to touch, to feel made Aragorn wonder and need to touch, to feel. Legolas embraced her and Aragorn could hear the small sobs that escaped Rachel. She was still human inside. Did she feel like that Elven passion aswell? Desperate for him? Aragorn came to a conclusion.and it broke his heart to think that he may not have that with Arwen aswell.  
  
  
  
Boromir:  
  
  
  
She saved him, loved him, cared for him, brightened him. This comfort would be his for an eternity. It chilled him and warmed him to know that he was in her debt forever. She, a woman, had taken an arrow for him! This scared Boromir. He was supposed to be dead. Yes, he saw the books, he read the passage. All night, he sat awake, trembling, sitting beside Rachel's bag with the books thrown across the room. Holly was his love, his brave heart. She would always be there if, after that, she could still love such a man who was to topple over falls. He knew that she had known of his death all along. And because of this, he could die at any moment. Well, he would make every moment last. He would endure in her heart and she in his. She was his love and he her's. Nothing, not even death, could part the petals from the rose.  
  
  
  
Gandalf:  
  
It was peculiar, this woman. She was strong, vulnerable, weak, beastly, angry, beautiful. Yet, Legolas tamed her. Gandlaf sat smoking his pipe, wondering. Wondering of all the world. Wondering of their world. Oh, he knew it was there.he had for longer than the dawn. It was.magnificent. But to leave it! To come to this.hell. Rachel was capable of such things no human before her was capable of. Such trauma and fear lived in those eyes. Those grey eyes. The tools of sight were not meant to be the color of the storm. They brew madness, fear, and torture into one twisted concoction. But she was different. Maybe the grey was the calming of the sea or the night when it first slips into sleep. Maybe she was everything.  
  
  
  
Frodo:  
  
Boromir was right.such a small thing, why be afraid of it? But he knew. He knew the power of the One Ring. It dangled on his chest, contorting his heart beat to its own. It was there, feeling him, running its cold hands over his mind, trying to find an entrance. But hobbits were good at riddles, and a riddle was what kept Frodo's mind shut. There were things good and evil, but what defined good and evil? Such a thing to think of. When he found himself wishing to put the Ring on his finger, he thought of this age long question and the voice was quieted. He would find the answer soon.he would find it at the birthplace of evil and the deathplace of good.  
  
  
  
Sam:  
  
He was so courageous, Master Frodo was. He made others brave too. Now, Sam wasn't smart, but he knew what was wrong and what was right, and that's what kept his gardener's paws off of that Ring. He saw Frodo standing there every once in a while, staring at the sky, at the mountain and gates. It was almost time, and Sam wasn't going to let his master be left alone. A promise is a promise and that's what needs to be kept. Curling up in his sleeping bag, Sam saw the forests, saw the eyes though not treacherous. These places were watching them, guarding them. In this he felt safe. A voice on the wind made him groggy and soon he began snoring. A promise isn't meant to be broken.a promise is a prize.  
  
  
  
Pippin:  
  
  
  
He bit into his apple.  
  
Merry:  
  
Sorry, he was asleep, but thinking of the war to come. Dreaming of victory and ale.  
  
  
  
A/N: I know they have thoughts, but I couldn't destroy their innocence by revealing deep, angsty thoughts of their's to you ;v;. I'M KEEPING THE LEGACY PIPPIN AND MERRY.if you wan tme to write one on them or Don't want me to write one on them, tell me.I'll put it on the end of the next chapter or something. 


	77. Miau

Disclaimer: nada  
  
  
  
Time: Miau.  
  
  
  
A/N: Boo.hey, this is a big day.for this story at least  
  
  
  
Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, and Rachel rode of toward Gondor once again. Rachel contemplated what would happen. She had found him.what next? She had listened as he spoke to her in Elvish, that sweet language.She didn't know half of what he had said, but she didn't care. It sounded sweet. It was love. "Love." Rachel said aloud, her eyes wide. Aragorn looked at her suspiciously, knowing she was thinking of Legolas. "You have finally noticed?" Gimli said from behind Legolas. He also had been zoning out, but at the tone in Gimli's voice he awoke again. The elves glanced at eachother and quickly looked away, smiling slightly. "Alright, it's time to get this out in the open!" Gimli said, obviously a bit frustrated. He hit Legolas on the back and the elf tilted his ear backward. "Do you love Rachel? Don't deny it!" he yelled. Rachel was at a panic. She looked away, trying not to listen, but keening her ears even more. Gimli really was that forceful friend in highschool. "Gimli! That is up to Legolas to tell!" Aragorn yelled, looking at Rachel and winking. Gimli was about to cross his arms, but nearly fell off. He clinged to Legolas's sides once more and the elf stared rigidly ahead of him. Minutes passed. Legolas made a decision. "Yes, Gimli. I do love her. I love her with a passion only elves can understand," he said loudly and clearly. There, he had said it out loud. He had said it to her in a language she knew more fluently. All were silent and nothing was said. Not even when they reached the gates of Gondor. Not even when Rachel and Gimli were given rooms to sleep in. Only when Aragorn and Legolas were alone, was anything spoken. "That was a brave statement, Legolas." "Maybe so. But it is true." Legolas looked at his friend and held something up to the light. A ring of such elegance.it could only have been from the elf's mother's hand.  
  
"Marriage, Legolas?" "Yes.I've come to a conclusion. I want her in my life always. Without her touch, I would surely die." "Do you wish to sail to the Undying lands?" Aragorn said, pain in his heart. "No.She would never leave Holly behind, no matter if she's immortal or not. A friendship that can't be broken. I will stay for her." Aragorn was relieved to hear of his friend's stay. This was something Aragorn knew Legolas had needed. Love. An elf can experience bits of it at a time, but this elf, this prince, had swallowed whole.  
  
  
  
A/N: Does't make much sense, I'm sure.but it does.*shrug* o.o HOLLY I READ NOW 


	78. Broohaha

Disclaimer: a;lghaldga;ldgh I hate these things.  
  
Time: Broohaha  
  
A/N: Ooh.:9.  
  
  
  
"So?! What happened? Where'd'ya go? What did ya' do?! I WANT THE SCOOP!!!" Holly said, shaking Rachel violently. The elf laughed and sat down on the bed, putting new bandages on her legs. Holly shook her head and sat Indian-style on the floor. "I'm guessing got pissed?" she said. "No. More impatient than anything." Both looked and smiled at eachother, but Holly knew there was something glowing in her friend's eyes. She was all smiles.almost like someone completely in love. Wait.she was in love. Haha, we forgot that didn't we? "Uh oh.what happened?!?!?!?!" Holly nearly squealed. Rachel looked up from her legs and blushed sheepishly. "Since I can't even begin to keep a secret from you, we embraced." "NOPE! THAT'S NOT ALL OF I-" Holly was dragged down to the floor by her elven companion, her mouth closed tightly. "He's just down the hall. He'll hear you if you say anything else," Rachel whispered. They listened intently to the sounds of footsteps in the hall. Two pair, not one. The other must be Aragorn. The men stopped outside of Rachel's rooms, where the two women were waiting quietly for them to pass. "Good luck, my friend. I doubt you need such tidings, but it is all the same," Aragorn said, putting a hand on Legolas's shoulder (Yes, Rachel could hear this stuff happening.Holly could hear most of it too.) The Man walked away, down the hall and Legolas stood at the door for quite some time. His heart beat was soaring and his breath somewhat ragged. Rachel knew he was coming in.especially when he knocked on the door. "Holly.you have to hide," she said within the girl's mind. It completely creeped them both out, but hey.stuff like that tended to happen to them. Holly nodded and Rachel got up to answer the door. She didn't know where her friend was going to hide, but it had to be somewhere good.Otherwise, Legolas would hear the other heartbeat in the room.  
  
  
  
A/N: ooh.wek now what's coming up don't we? Hmm? Hehehehe, suspense. 


	79. Pop the Question

Disclaimer: asdfasdf I think that's good enough.  
  
Time: Pop the Question  
  
A/N: We know what THIS chapter is!!!! Kukukukukuku!!!! D~  
  
  
  
Rachel opened the door and saw Legolas standing before her. She stepped aside and he looked at her nervously, his lips slightly parted. "Legolas, come in," Rachel said, smiling. He nodded and strolled in to the room. Looking back, he saw the elf maiden pause before shutting the door. Her heart soared and Legolas knew she had an idea of what he was doing. "Might I ask you a question, Rachel?" he said, waiting for her to turn around. He looked away from her and stared at the ground. What would she really say? Was she too sensible to marry in war?.  
  
  
  
Holly lay in her hiding place, listening to the dumbfounded elves shuffle around the room. She wanted to pop out like a stripper at a bachelor's party and make them say their "I dos." She also had to grit her teeth to stop from laughing her head off.  
  
  
  
"Of course you may, Legolas." Their eyes met and Legolas kept that contact, moving a bit closer with every breath. He brushed some stray bit of hair out of Rachel's face and she looked up at him, mezmerized by his heart beat. Hardly half an inch from the other's embrace, Legolas shook his head as if to clear it. He leaned back and stepped away from Rachel. He was too afraid. "I'm afraid I've forgotten. Excuse me," Legolas said, rushing out of the room, his brow scrunched. Rachel looked blankly where he had been standing and blinked back a few tears.  
  
  
  
Holly scrambled out from under the bed, startling her friend. "You fit under there?!" she whispered. Holly nodded and looked at how upset her friend was. "That was it? Please tell me you did the whole mind thing again." Rachel shook her head and closed the door just in time. Holly ran smack into it on her way to kill Legolas. "Let me kill him! Let me put both his heads on pikes!" Holly roared as Rachel covered her mouth again. "Shut up! He'll hear you!" "But he hurt you!" Holly exclaimed. "I can see it in your eyes!" Rachel sat down on the bed and fell backwards, staring at the domed ceiling. The featherdown matress engulfed her form as she slid farther and farther into her thoughts. He had rejected her.or had he? "What do you mean?" Holly yelled, sitting down beside her friend. Rachell looked at her. "Hmm?" "Your brain was talking again." "Oh, well, maybe he thought it was the wrong time. Elves can't lie, Holly. When he said he loved me, he was being truthful about it." "So what are you going to do?" Holly said, thoroughly confused. "I'm going to milk this for all its worth," she said with an evil smile. Legolas was going to pine for her. Need her. Think of her to the point of insanity. "Rachel, you have that look." Holly said cautiously. "What? You know that mischief and devious deeds are part of my nature." She pulled her friend closer and whispered, "So here's what I'm going to need help on."  
  
  
  
A/N: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.o.o It was a SYKE DDD Deviousness via author and character.gotta love that.haha, not 


	80. The Chase I think this is where I left o...

Disclaimer: *sneezes* I hate pollen… 

A/N: Whee! I have so little time and so much to do! XD Don't you love that feeling?! *sarcastic joy*   


  
Time: The Chase   
  
  


Rachel stood up, holding a pair of lovely blue slippers in her hand as Holly smoothed out the ruffles on her sleeve. Her companion's dress was a magnificent, deep blue. They had found it in the closet and, being a bit too small for Rachel, it outlined her curves perfectly. 

"Well? What do you think?" she asked nervously, trying to figure out what to do with her hands since she had no pockets. Holly gave her the thumbs up and smiled. 

"It looks great!" 

"You aren't just saying that. I'm not going out there to look like a fool, am I? Because, at the moment, you are my mirror…" 

"I promise! You look fantastic." 

Rachel nodded, believing her friend. Then an evil smirk spread across her face. Holly looked at her friend, backing toward the door. 

"Wh-what are you doing?" 

Rachel held up a dress most similar to hers except that it was a dark crimson. She also threw the slippers at Holly's face, who immediately batted them away. 

"No! I refuse! You'll have to catch me first!" Holly said, bounding out the door. Rachel dropped the clothes and ran out after her friend. She could hear her panting and she ran down the stone corridor to the left. Laughing, Rachel sprinted away after her. 

Holly looked back and saw the elf a few hundred yards behind her. She pushed herself forward and stole a glance backwards, to find that Rachel was no longer there. Stopping, she put her hands on her hips. 

"Now where did she g—" Holly was pushed to the floor and Rachel sat on her stomach. 

"You are wearing…the dress," she said triumphantly and not without tease. Holly pounded her fist on the cold granite beneath her and pushed the elf off to the side. 

"Fine fine…I'm wearing the dress…under one condition…" 

"Anything. I just don't want to be alone in this one." 

Holly leaned it and whispered something to Rachel. She immediately burst into fits of laughter. 

"Okay! Let's shake on it!" Holly said holding out her hand. Rachel, still silent with laughter, shook her hand and got up, shaking her head and walking back toward her rooms.   
  


A/N: Yey, short, but still there…I'll have another one out soon…   



	81. Do I really need to name it?

Disclaimer: Contrary to my disclaimer in the last chapter, they aren't mine…damnit…   


Time: Do I Really Need to Name It?   


A/N: Hi…*sniffle* Stupid flu =-=;; *growls*   
  


The two girls spied on their companions eagerly through a wall of vines. Holly was far louder than Rachel because a) she had insisted on wearing her boots and b) she was human. At one point, Legolas looked in their direction, but Rachel diverted his attention with a bird call. 

"I'm surprised I remembered that…" she said inwardly. Faintly she heard Holly's reply in the back of her mind. 

"Me too…" 

They looked at eachother and shrugged, getting used to the idea of telepathy. 

~*~   


Aragorn and Boromir were strategically dueling in the middle of the court. Legolas watched, listening sharply for any other unnatural sounds. His attention was diverted by the sound of laughter when Aragorn tripped and fell to the ground. Boromir, chuckling, lent him a hand and pulled the ranger to his feet. Both panted and smiled at eachother, glad to relax. Legolas smirked at the two and snapped his head toward some foliage on his right. A left had moved and he figured it had been the bird he heard ealier. Strange…he hadn't seen it fly away… 

~*~ 

  
Rachel slowly backed away from the vines, Holly following on tip toes. (A/N: Steel tip toes! XBB…*ehem* Sorry…Had to say it ^^;;). She used some military hand signals that basically said "retreat" and Holly nodded, creeping away from their "recon" mission.   
  
When they were far enough away that Rachel was sure Legolas couldn't hear them, she laughed evilly. 

"Uh oh…when you laugh like that, I know it's something I don't want to do," Holly stated matter-of-factly. The elf raised her eyebrows happily and rubs her hands together. 

"I know how we'll do this." 

"Rachel? I'm not buying in…"   


Both were speaking at the same time… 

Rachel…Holly:   
  


I'll lure Legolas away with some kind of animal messenger…Rachel? I'm telling you, your devious shinannigans never fail to get us in trouble…and then I'll get Boromir out for you with Mornie…HA! I'll tell Mornie not to listen to you!…I'm sure he won't mind if I pursuade him with some raw meat and sugar cubes…Oh boy, I'm really afraid now, Rae…I'm not sure which one he'd like more, to be honest, so I'll give him both…Fine, fine…And this is sure to work! I can tell…I'll follow through with it, but ONLY because I can't talk to animals myself…   
  


Rachel paused and looked at Holly. 

"What does talking to animals have anything to do with it?" Rachel asked. Her friend shrugged. 

"I had to have an escuse for following your plan. This time, it sounds like it might work," Holly said enthusiastically. Rachel looked at her surprised. Neither one of them moved. 

Rachel said slowly, "Riiiiiight…so anyway, this is what you do…" 

Holly leaned in to hear her friend's whispers.   
  
  


A/N: For those of you who don't know a few of the jokes in this one… 

1. Holly's boots are army issue. Army issue boots are steel-toed. Hence the pun "steel tip toe." Stupid, but hey…I'm in a tacky mood today. 

2. A Recon mission is a mission where a small team of scouts goes out to find or search for a target. It's really a reconosance mission, but Recon for short ^^;;   
  



	82. Nostalgia

Disclaimer: *sarcastic tone* Okay! You caught me! *puts hands up in surrender* They're mine, I admit it! XB If anyone believed that, I'll shoot you…   


A/N: Yes, hi. Well, on with the story! Sorry it's been taking forever and a day…I know you all hate me now XB So I'll just trudge along…   
  


Time: Nostalgia   
  
  


"Holly, get your ass out here!" Rachel cried, pounding against her door. She waited impatiently at the entrance and nearly fell backwards when the door she was leaning on opened abruptly. Holly snickered and walked out, holding the bottom of her dress up awkwardly. Rachel looked at her with amazement. She look good… 

"Well? Are ya' happy yet?!" Holly shouted. The elf nodded her approval and started walking away when she heard the clunking of boots behind her. Turning, she looked passed Holly's head and into the bushes. Were one of the guys spying on them? What was going o--… 

"You're…wearing…your boots?!" Rachel cried out in frustration. Holly shrugged and smiled a bit. 

"You said I could add a personal touch. Well, these are it!" she bellowed proudly, pointed at and showing off her big leather boots. Rachel shook her head, amused and bowed, one hand extended toward the corridor. 

"After you, m'lady," she teased. Holly dramatically stuck her nose in the air and modeled down the hallway. Rachel stood straight and began to follow, immediately sighing with laughter. 

"Oh boy, Holly. Come here," she said, again, shaking her head. Holly, innocently oblivious, stalked back to her friend. Rachel spun her around and tired the back of her dress shut. 

"Oh! I thought it was a bit drafty…" Holly trailed off in an English accent. 

"Nimrod…" Rachel accused. Holly looked back and stuck her tongue out. 

"Dork…" 

"Technically, I can't be a dork." 

"Why not, Miss Smarty Pants?" 

"Because I'm not a whale's dick…" 

Holly laughed at Rachel's snide comment and they walked together in silence for a few minutes. Both seemed in a dreamy, glazed-over state. Holly was contemplating her betrothal. It had been sudden, but fun. She laughed quietly and blushed at the thought of first kissing Boromir. At the time, it hadn't been a shy kiss, but thinking about it made her think 'Wow…I can't believe he went along with it!' She snapped out of her day dream when Rachel pulled her away from a pillar she was about to smack into. Holly laughed nervously at her friend's knowing glance and scratched the back of her head. 

"Oops?" Rachel said. Holly nodded and sighed, looking forward. She couldn't help but laugh at passed events. 

"Hey, Rae?" 

"Hmm?" 

"Do you remember when we were about sixteen and we had that fight over what color Smurfs really are?" Holly asked, out of the blue. Rachel, a bit shocked at first, looked at the woman with confusion. 

"Yeah…wow, that was a stupid fight." Both laughed. 

"I still say Smurfs were red," Holly said with assurance. Rachel looked at her and laughed teasingly. 

"Nooooooo…They're green!" she affirmed. Holly nudged her. 

"Nope. They're red," she said dismissively. Rachel pushed back a little harder. 

"Green," she yawned. The two looked at each other mischievously and burst into giggles. 

"Wow. It's been a while since we've laughed like that," Rachel breathed. Holly looked at her sadly. 

"Almost two years…"   
Both women went silent. Rachel looked away and Holly watched her from the corner of her eye. She seemed to be debating with herself…Her eyes were in so much pain. Eventually she opened her mouth to speak. 

"I'm sorry, Hol. I shouldn't have been so…" She struggled for a word. "…Detached." 

"I understand," Holly said, looking at her feet and smiling when she heard the satisfying crunch of her boots. Rachel nodded and punched Holly's shoulder playfully. 

"I'm glad you stayed around. I don't think I'd be around if you weren't there. Thanks, buddy," she said, smiling sincerely. Holly's eyes gleamed and she knew that Rachel had finally gotten passed her depression…once and for good. 

"Anytime, Rae!" Holly hesitated a bit before pouncing on her elven friend. She hugged her briefly and Rachel laughed, her eyes wide. 

"Wait, I hear them…They're up at the next courtyard," Rachel confirmed. Holly nodded and straightened her dress out and getting thumbs up from Rachel. She did the same thing for her companion and they walked forth toward the men of their dreams.   
  


A/N: YEY! A not-dramatic-but-very-light-with-humor chapter! ^0^ 'Bout time I had one o' those in here ^^;;   



	83. Song of Birds: Prelude to Seduction

Time: Song of Birds: Prelude to Seduction   
  


A/N: Yey! Progress! XBB   
  


Holly sat quietly on a stone bench, waiting for Boromir to find her. She was edgy and knew it would take a while for Rachel to get all the furry creatures to help. (Holly: Sorry, had to think that one.). A small breeze lifted her short hair away from her face and she looked up, just in time to see Rachel call a bird to her balcony. Holly fidgeted nervously. 

"This is it!" she told herself confidently. Although their wedding feast was that night, she still felt giddy. Now she'd see what he really thought of her…maybe…okay, probably not…but still! 

~*~ 

Rachel sang to a small song bird and it flew to her hand, landing softly on her outstretched fingers. She looked down at Holly and smiled. Her friend nodded and looked around with anticipation. 

The elven maiden whispered in Elvish to the little bird before letting it fly away with purpose. She stood on the balcony and listened to the wind howl gently before returning to her room. She had to get ready for a certain feast…one of…how do you say?…importance? 

~*~ 

Legolas smiled as he diverted his attention from the two men's sword match. He watched Rachel beckon a bird with the same call she had fooled him with not more than an hour ago. Legolas knew then that she and Holly had indeed been hidden in the vines. He mused at her trickery. 

The stone railing of her balcony sheltered any view of her body, but her look as she gazed into the setting sun enthralled him. Her golden hair fluttered in the air and her eyes shown a crystal grey. She was completely at ease. It made Legolas gleam. 

Suddenly a bird landed on the bench next to Legolas. He looked down at it and listened to its song. Glancing back up to Rachel's window, he found that she wasn't there anymore. Legolas frowned, he had missed her exit… 

"What the--?!" Boromir said, batting something away from his face. Legolas stood and caught the bird on his hand, feeling Rachel's presence under the bird's feet. He looked at it respectfully and let it loose. It immediately hopped onto Boromir's shoulder. 

"Looks like you've got a crush, Boromir," Aragorn joked, leaning on his sword. Boromir laughed and held out his hand for the bird to step on. It chirped merrily and flew away out of the courtyard and to the left of the vines. The three men watched it and Boromir frowned, dissappointed.   
  
"Aren't you going to follow it?" Aragorn said, waving his hand toward the direction the bird flew. 

"What do you mean?" he asked, pointing to himself, wide-eyed. Aragorn nodded and laughed as Boromir sprinted after the tweeting of his guide. 

Legolas and Aragorn looked at eachother and laughed quietly. Aragorn watched his friend stare up at his love's room and nudged the elf's shoulder. They looked at eachother quizzically until the rider spoke. 

"So? Are you going to go?"   
  
"Should I? I'm not sure if she is of want of my company." 

"The bird sang of Boromir finding his love amidst lavender and Legolas rising to the heights of it's messenger. And trust me, my friend, even I can tell where that bird came from…Go! It's her bidding!" 

Legolas nodded once and walked crisply toward the castle, more nervous than he had ever been in his life. What did Rachel have in store for him? What did Rachel have in store for Boromir? 

Aragorn was thinking along the same lines as he watched his elven friend leave the stone patios behind and dash away towards the entrance to the stone passageways. As soon as he was out of earshot, Aragorn burst into laughter. Even he had not endured the labor that his two companions were shouldered with!…These two women, Holly and Rachel, were like puppetiers, pulling strings invisible to all others. 

"And Boromir, Legolas, my friends. You are the marionettes…"   
  
  


A/N: harhar…XB   
  



	84. Seduction of Victim One

Disclaimer: I hold no claim to Lord of the Rings…Rachel, Mordil, Mornie, Holly, and any other character that's only mentioned in this fic are mine. These original characters or any other characters of mine can be used for other fics if I'm asked before hand…thank you very much!   
  


Time: Seduction of Victim #1   
  


A/N: Wow, a real disclaimer o.o…How cruel and usual of me >D riguhl_ra@yahoo.com in case you need to contact me for some reason or other *shrug*   
  
  


Boromir lost sight of his guide bird and stood in a garden path with archways of stone and vine. Gasping for breath he dropped his arms to his sides in exhasperation. Now he would never know what the bird had been leading him to!   
Hearing a very faint tweet from the far left, Boromir snapped his head in its direction. He walked to it and heard it again, far to the right. Playing a game of "catch me if you can," the man walked from vine to vine, pillar to pillar, listening for the slightest of sounds.   
Suddenly, the song bird revealed its hiding place and flew around the corner of a pillar, Boromir ran after it and found himself in a small, hidden courtyard. He stopped dead in his tracks as the bird flew to someone's outstretched fingers. Following the fingers to the hand, to the arm and graceful shoulder, he saw the oh-so-familiar folds of blonde hair.   
Walking forward briskly, but not without a glint of shock in his eyes, Boromir sat beside Holly and held her hand in his as his messenger flew away toward some distant outcrop in the stone walls of Gondor.   
"So this is where fate has led me?" he joked, smiling at her eyes. Holly nodded slyly and grasped his hand.   
Boromir gave her an inquiring glance and she smiled, reaching her hand to his jaw and pulling him in for an affectionate kiss. Surprised as he was, Boromir snickered and deepened their embrace. He liked this.   
Holly laughed to herself. This seduction thing was really working! For once, Rachel's plan HADN'T gone under…   
Boromir looked at his soon-to-be wife and ran a loving hand down her sleeve, feeling the crimson velvet ripple under his touch. Holly ran a hand through his hair and they both felt shivers go down their backs.   
Holly, determined to leave him hanging, stood and walked out of the courtyard, swinging her hips slightly. Boromir, shocked for the worse, sat and watched her leave. As she turn the corner, she looked at him and winked.   
"What a woman!" Boromir whispered, watching the last bit of red cloth disappear behind the pillars.   
  
  


A/N: Whee! Short…o.o   



	85. Seduction of Victim Two

Disclaimer: Nyerm…not mine! Whee!!!   
  


Time: Seduction of Victim #2   
  


A/N: This is just for you, Holly! T0T But it'll have to be fast…*towel, no glasses* Sorry about any mistakes I make…o.o;; I can't find my glasses…   


Rachel sat on her bed, reading through a book. She had found it in the Royal Library collecting dust. Her hair ruffled lightly and she heard faint footsteps as they neared her room. Making sure not to let herself smile, she kept reading as though she couldn't hear a thing.   
The footsteps stopped right outside her room and Rachel distinguished a fast heart beat. She knew Legolas was standing, contemplating what to do next.   
"Legolas! Come in!" she called confidently. Hesitantly, the elven prince swung the door open, gazing at the maiden before him with curious eyes.   
"You called me," he stated. Rachel smiled and shut her book, laying it down on the comforter next to her. She stood up and nodded, walking gracefully toward Legolas. His lips parted slightly, wanting to kiss hers, but he dared not move.   
"I did call you. I wanted to know if you had remembered that question from earlier? I'm quite curious as to what it was," she said casually. Legolas swallowed hard and exhaled audibly. Inwardly, Rachel cackled. This was perfect.   
"It still elludes me," he obviously lied. The woman nodded and grasped Legolas's hand, pulling him into a hug.   
Legolas, shocked, held her closer. He smelled her hair of lavender and felt her skin of velvet on his cheek. He pulled away and searched her eyes, wondering.   
"What's troubling you?" he asked, concerned. Rachel smiled and put a hand on the back of his neck.   
"I just wanted to give you a hug…and this…"   
Legolas's eyes grew to the size of golfballs when Rachel's lips pressed against his gently. Before he could think, she pulled away and walked from the room. Legolas was left there, paralyzed. His lips tingled and he looked at his hand…she had slipped a key into his grasp…   
  


A/N: Whee! Fun fun, hope ther weren't too many errors! ^^;;   



	86. Reflection

Disclaimer: what's the point   
  
  


Time: Reflection   


A/N: This chapter was requested…   
  


Boromir: He never would have thought he'd love this woman so much. It hit him in an instant. One truthful moment in the wood. Her screams were what brought him back. She had saved him and then he realized that his friendly view upon her had become more. And here they were…at a feast…of betrothal…   
  


Holly: Ever since she was young, fifteen or so, she had loved him. Reading the books, watching the movies. Boromir had always been her favorite. Her computer was littered with movie shots of him and she wrote short stories. Years passed and she slowly forgot until one fateful night in a pasture. He had been real, the entire time! Alive! And, hiding her love of his character, she watched, knew when and where to save him. This made her realize…she didn't want the books to remain true. She wanted her love to be real…   
  


Pippin/Merry/Aragorn/other people I don't want to name: They came from nowhere, but were something special to them all. Their skills, love, and strength guided the Fellowship through unseen dangers and even led two lucky men to their hearts. How would this all fold out? No one knew…except for them. Rachel and Holly had the answers tucked away inside their minds. Holly, with her swift sword and robust personality made everyone shine. She always was cheerful, despite the terror. She was bright…and the hobbits always thought "full of the Shire." Rachel was lightening up…but before she had been mean, tedious, and not without a brutal fierceness that sent any foe scampering. Her deadly aim and sharp whitted "martial arts" got them out of one mess. And then, something changed. She became gentle and finally they all understood. Legolas. It was amusing to see the meanie fall for the elf (obviously Pippin's thought)…and now, all was right as rain…wasn't it?   
  


Legolas: She was there…alive, breathing, warm, pulsing, fighting, strong…But he knew she had to be an illusion. A trick of the eye brought on by seering passion and the will to love. Legolas watched her, listened to her breathe and felt weak at her presence. It was real…his love was real…   
  


Rachel: She never thought she'd love again. So many men destroyed. Anyone she touched melted into a cascade of torment. She was the acursed hand of Minos and slowly her heart, she was touching. How could sh love a character in a play? In a book or movie? It seemed unethical and highly unreal. But he was real. He plagued her mind, invaded her soul and she let him, complied to his every whim. Legolas was all and more than what she needed, wanted, dreamed. And everyone else around her melted…into a cascade of torment…   
  
  


A/N: Yeah…bleh…*ehem* leaving now…   



	87. The Stairs

Disclaimer: bleh bleh   
  


Time: The Stairs…   
  


A/N: Contrary to all sorts of bad and humorous things that could happen with "the stairs" this is a fairly seirous chapter…   
  


"Alright…are you ready?" Rachel asked, somewhat nervous. She and Holly looked at eachother and nodded, being mirrors for the other. They straightened their dresses and walked as slowly and confidently as they could toward the stair case…   
  


The men stood at the bottom of the stone steps anxiously. Aragorn, Gandalf, Gimli, and the hobbits left Legolas and Boromir to their own devices. Boromir, far more eager to show his impatience, shuffled around the entrance hall, straining his ears and muscles for the slightest movement on the floor above. Legolas, on the other hand, stood perfectly still, suspending his breath. The only person he could hear was Holly and that made him nervous as well. 

Boromir gave Legolas a knowing glance and they smiled smally at eachother. 

"This is quite worrisome, isn't it?" the man laughed. Legolas nodded and walked towards him a bit. 

"Perhaps not worrisome, but more nerve-wracking." 

"…Do you love her? Legolas?" Boromir asked from the blue. Legolas, knowing the question was coming, nodded solemnly. He inclined his head at Boromir. 

"I love Holly with the love of the sun," he said passionately. Legolas smiled…he wished he could voice such poetry, but his heart was in such a clamp he was afraid that it wasn't possible. 

"They come!" Legolas said, hearing heeled footsteps trod down the halls. Boromir and he looked excitedly at the stair case and their lips parted in shock as their ladies passed down them. 

Holly was wearing a dress of plain white that glided generously down her figure. Silver trim graced her hips and chest while a short silver chain slithered along her collar bones. Boromir nearly drooled at the sight of her as she held the rail of the stair case and paused at the top step. Rachel stepped out beside her and held the opposite railing, almost as if they had planned it. (A/N: Which they had obviously done…) 

Rachel wore a slender gown of black with golden trimming. A black choker constricted around her neck and the faintest feeling of the forest emanated from the cloth of her dress. Laced sleeves barely brushed the stairs as both ladies glided down to their escorts. 

Legolas and Boromir, though neither thought they could move, stretched out their hands and took their loves' hands. Walking down the hall towards the feast, Rachel and Holly sent eachother knowing glances and smiled inwardly. It must have worked…   
  
  


A/N: yey! I'm getting osmewhere with this! XB   



	88. Yeah

Disclaimer: Not mine  

    


Time: Yeah  

    


A/N:…  

    


They walked across the courtyards and stone sidewalks, the music of many cheerful guests conversing floating across the breeze. Legolas rubbed his thumb against the fabric of Rachel's immensely long sleeve and heard the beating drums of Boromir's heart as he thought of things to come. This night was the evening before their wedding…would Legolas have the guts to tell Rachel? To ask her?    


…He doubted it…    


"It's lovely out here," she said, trying to fill the silence. For once, she wanted words.   
Legolas only nodded in response, and stared at the moon. It was so unpredictable. He couldn't tell anything from its surface. And, with shocked eyes, he heard the same phrase echo through his mind. Only it was not his own voice. Glancing at Rachel, he saw her gaze leaned upward as well. She couldn't have…!    


Rachel looked at Legolas with a befuddled air. What was wrong? Was there something on her face? (A/N: *BOL* MUAWAHAHAHAHA …*ehem* sorry, I had to give her a shallow moment >D~ Hehe…) His eyes searched her face, her mind. She could feel him on the brink of her creases and scratched her head as it began to itch.     


In a fit of happiness, Legolas laughed joyously and spun his love around, smiling as he had never smiled before. Rachel, though very modestly confused, smiled and laughing smally, not knowing what to make of it.    


"Will you marry me?" he said quietly, holding her hands in his and leaning his forehead against hers, feeling the blush radiate from her cheeks.    


"Wha--?"    


"Will you marry me?" he interrupted. Rachel scrunched her eyebrows and then laughed, throwing her arms around Legolas. They hugged happily, swaying back and forth in excitement.     


Rachel felt her eyes become hot and a small wet spot formed on her shoulder under Legolas's cheek. This was…she had known he'd ask eventually, but she never imagined it would be so wonderful to hear him say. Laying her head on his shoulder, she nearly fell asleep, completely and utterly…safe…  

    


A/N: *cackles* Evilnessu >D EVILNESSU…I bet you didn't get that one, but EVILNESSU! You'll get it later XB  


	89. Drunken Prophecy

Disclaimer: I'm really starting to think that these are the bane of my existence...  
  
Time: The Drunken Prophecy  
  
A/N: Herro all o.o;; Yes, I'm not around ^^;; so I'll just be making this short.  
  
They grunted, stood watch and made snide remarks about the elven idiots no more than a hundred yards from their hiding spot. Fighting over a piece of stale meat, these beasts of terror created  
  
their inevitable plan of doom.  
  
Boromir and Holly waltzed drunkenly into the clearing, interrupting Rachel and Legolas in their hugs and laughter. Holly hiccuped smally and her commander wandered whether or not the spirits  
  
in Middle Earth were any more toxic than on the base at home.  
  
"Legolas! You sly dog.thought you'd get your dame alone here, did you? You know you won't allow yourself any enjoyment, so why bother? You can hug her in the dining hall!" Boromir  
  
smirked, his cheeks somewhat crimson from the mass consumption of alcohol. Legolas shook his head and thankfully stopped himself from blushing too horribly. He clasped Rachel's hand and ran his thumb along the lining of her palm. She didn't look at him, but calmly stared forward, intently watching Holly and Boromir. The urge to kiss Legolas was so near...Her eyes squinted in concentration. Not here...she couldn't here. Legolas gave her a waning smile and cleared his throat solemnly. Suddenly, Legolas's whit came back to him and he smirked.  
  
"And where might you two be going?!" he called as they stumbled up the courtyard toward the chamber towers. "Dare I say it is dishonorable to bed your love and sley her virtue the night before you wed?" Boromir laughed and staggered back to his elven companions.  
  
"My dear Legolas, her virtue is already mine!" he bellowed joyously, clapping a hand on Legolas's shoulder. Rachel coughed to conceal a small grin and was instantly remembered of they're escapade before Boromir's injuries...  
  
Aragorn was pacing the forest floor. He seemed to be in deep thought, but was only straining his ears to hear any sound or cry.  
  
"Aragorn, Holly knows what she'sdoing, alright? She'llbe fine,"Rachel said soothingly. Legolas still would not let her stand but stood himself right beside her. He crossed his arms and then a faint noise reached both elves ears. It was the sound of giggling. Holly. Then' another voice chuckled playfully. Boromir.  
  
"Why do you two look so red?" Pippin chimed. Legolas and Rachel were bright crimson and Rachel coughed slightly.  
  
"You don'Äôt wanna know,' she said quietly, redder than ever. Aragorn sighed with agitation and hit his fist against his palm.  
  
"I cannot stand here and let this happen! I'm going to find Frodo!" the ranger said just before dashing off into the woods. Legolas reached his hand out as if it would stop Aragorn, but said nothing. Rachel, however'  
  
"Aragorn! Get your ass back here! You have no idea what you' are about to walk in'aw shit! Well, this will definitely be interesting,'' she told herself, mentally kicking Legolas's ass for not letting her stand up. She listened carefully and laughed when Holly greeted Aragorn without one embarrassed note in her voice. Aragorn mumbled an apology and ran off in the opposite direction...  
  
Holly laughed uncontrollably and hiccuped once or twice before taking another chug of ale. She swayed and sat down on a stone bench, laughing at Rachel's ears, which were all of a sudden one of the funniest things Holly had ever seen...Rachel shot her a glance as she sputtered and pointed at the elven maiden, double over in silent laughter. "Well, I think we must retire! And you two...up for a rocky midnight, eh?" Boromir slugged, holding his pint aloft. He took a swig of the substance and pranced back to Holly. They helped eachother up the stairs and boisterous laughter could be heard for several more minutes. Legolas and Rachel stood side by side watching upwards wordlessly, not fearing for their friends, but watching over their minds. It was almost a sign...of something to come...the elves' movements were...  
  
Rachel shook her head and turned toward Legolas. He smiled and bowed his head into hers, pressing his forehead up to her cheek. She beamed and blushed like she had never done so before...not with Jake, not with anyone. He grasped both her hands and just as he bent his head to kiss them, an oily black arrow shot between their faces. Parting in alarm, Legolas grabbed the dagger from his boot and both got ready to fight as a small troup of orcs showered down on them. Legolas had no bow, no elven daggers...Rachel had no gun, no arrow, no sword...all they had was eachother...  
  
"This will definitley be a rocky midnight!" Rachel called to her prince, elbowing the first orc in the face...  
  
A/N: Whee, done...gotta go work now... 


	90. Um oo I think this is the next chapterFi...

Disclaimer: I'm really starting to think that these are the bane of my existence... 

Time: The Drunken Prophecy 

A/N: Herro all o.o;; Yes, I'm not around ^^;; so I'll just be making this short… 

They grunted, stood watch and made snide remarks about the elven idiots no more than a hundred yards from their hiding spot. Fighting over a piece of stale meat, these beasts of terror created   
their inevitable plan of doom… 

Boromir and Holly waltzed drunkenly into the clearing, interrupting Rachel and Legolas in their hugs and laughter. Holly hiccuped smally and her commander wandered whether or not the spirits   
in Middle Earth were any more toxic than on the base at home… 

"Legolas! You sly dog…thought you'd get your dame alone here, did you? You know you won't allow yourself any enjoyment, so why bother? You can hug her in the dining hall!" Boromir   
smirked, his cheeks somewhat crimson from the mass consumption of alcohol. Legolas shook his head and thankfully stopped himself from blushing too horribly. He clasped Rachel's hand and ran his thumb along the lining of her palm. She didn't look at him, but calmly stared forward, intently watching Holly and Boromir. The urge to kiss Legolas was so near...Her eyes squinted in concentration. Not here...she couldn't here. Legolas gave her a waning smile and cleared his throat solemnly. Suddenly, Legolas's whit came back to him and he smirked. 

"And where might you two be going?!" he called as they stumbled up the courtyard toward the chamber towers. "Dare I say it is dishonorable to bed your love and sley her virtue the night before you wed?" Boromir laughed and staggered back to his elven companions.   
  
"My dear Legolas, her virtue is already mine!" he bellowed joyously, clapping a hand on Legolas's shoulder. Rachel coughed to conceal a small grin and was instantly remembered of they're escapade before Boromir's injuries... 

_Aragorn was pacing the forest floor. He seemed to be in deep thought, but was only straining his ears to hear any sound or cry.___

_"Aragorn, Holly knows what she'sdoing, alright? She'llbe fine,"Rachel said soothingly. Legolas still would not let her stand but stood himself_   
_right beside her. He crossed his arms and then a faint noise reached both elves‚Äô ears. It was the sound of giggling. Holly. Then‚Ä¶another voice_   
_chuckled playfully. Boromir.___

_‚ÄúWhy do you two look so red?‚Äù Pippin chimed. Legolas and Rachel were bright crimson and Rachel coughed slightly.___

_‚ÄúYou don‚Äôt wanna know,‚Äù she said quietly, redder than ever. Aragorn sighed with agitation and hit his fist against his palm.___

_‚Äú‚ÄùI cannot stand here and let this happen! I‚Äôm going to find Frodo!‚Äù the ranger said just before dashing off into the woods. Legolas reached his_   
_hand out as if it would stop Aragorn, but said nothing. Rachel, however‚Ä¶___

_‚ÄúAragorn! Get your ass back here! You have no idea what you‚Äôre about to walk in‚Äîaw shit! Well, this will definitely be interesting,‚Äù she told_   
_herself, mentally kicking Legolas‚Äô ass for not letting her stand up. She listened carefully and laughed when Holly greeted Aragorn without one_   
_embarrassed note in her voice. Aragorn mumbled an apology and ran off in the opposite direction...___

Holly laughed uncontrollably and hiccuped once or twice before taking another chug of ale. She swayed and sat down on a stone bench, laughing at Rachel's ears, which were all of a sudden one of the funniest things Holly had ever seen...Rachel shot her a glance as she sputtered and pointed at the elven maiden, double over in silent laughter. 

"Well, I think we must retire! And you two...up for a rocky midnight, eh?" Boromir slugged, holding his pint aloft. He took a swig of the substance and pranced back to Holly. They helped eachother up the stairs and boisterous laughter could be heard for several more minutes. Legolas and Rachel stood side by side watching upwards wordlessly, not fearing for their friends, but watching over their minds. It was almost a sign...of something to come...the elves' movements were... 

Rachel shook her head and turned toward Legolas. He smiled and bowed his head into hers, pressing his forehead up to her cheek. She beamed and blushed like she had never done so before...not with Jake, not with anyone. He grasped both her hands and just as he bent his head to kiss them, an oily black arrow shot between their faces. Parting in alarm, Legolas grabbed the dagger from his boot and both got ready to fight as a small troup of orcs showered down on them. Legolas had no bow, no elven daggers...Rachel had no gun, no arrow, no sword...all they had was eachother... 

"This will definitley be a rocky midnight!" Rachel called to her prince, elbowing the first orc in the face...   


A/N: Whee, done...gotta go work now...   
__   
  
__


	91. Summery of following events

Disclaimer: nada, except for Rachel and Holly  
  
Time: Chapter 89 and 90 are the same so don't read one of them.  
  
A/N: WOw o.o;; I'm HOME!!!! *grooves and pops a bottle of chamaigne* And I found time to write a chapter, strange huh...hmm...too bad that this is a serious  
  
chapter, huh? T_T:; *will make it short to be able to move along...and she's tired anyway from having driven fourteen hours earlier in the day*  
  
Very short...you wouldn't want to read it anyway...sorry!!! ^^;;  
  
Summer of the following events:  
  
A meeting was held after Rachel regained her composure about the warnless attack of a dozen or more orcs. Rachel sat with Legolas and tended to the more serious of his small collection of wounds and dabbed them with a wet napkin (whiskey, of course) and ice. Boromir's father and brother made plans with their closest military personel and called in a few watchmen who claimed they saw nothing. The hobbits and Gimli were sobered quickly by the talk. Gandalf, as usual, could not be found (he was off to investigate, of course).  
  
Action was unavoidable. Armies would be gathered. Allies informed. And families prepared. The soldiers went into training the next day and a week later, the first troups would be deployed. Many new tactics were shared between Rachel, Holly (who had sobered as well) and Faramir, then presented to the Steward. They were going to war.  
  
A/N: Blah, I told you, nothing special...however, in my head, Holly fell down the stairs and said "I'M...OKAY!"...but that's just about the only interesting and non dramatic or boring thing that happened. So I'll continue with the next chapter within the next few days or so...I just want to sleep now T_T;; *curls up with her pillow* 


	92. Long Time, No Type

Disclaimer: Wow, I'm back o.o;;; okay, just look at the previous stuff... 

Time: Long Time, No Type!!! 

A/N: Hey guys! Guess what...I'm home ;v; I have been for a few weeks, and I have to go back, but not for another two months or so, so I'm going to try to really make   
this happen...I just saw the story sitting on my desktop and a pile of reviews ^_^ And I decided that I should update...and guess what! I DID!!!! WOOOOO!!!!!!   
*ehem* Back to the story 9_9;;...if I could remember where I left off T_T...*cries*... 

*returns three hours later* ^_^ I've remembered! Okay, so NOW we'll get on with it!   
  


Legolas paced the stone corridors that Gondor provided, expelling himself from joy. She would fight. Rachel had secured in her mind that the Fellowship would   
live and had, in her dreams, told Legolas this. But a looming, stormy doubt lingered in his mind...what of Holly and Rachel? What if the stories no longer held true?   
His hands fell to his sides and Legolas watched the sun set from a terrace high above the training combatants. Children donned oversized, heavy armor; Frail old men   
creaked into fighting stances. It was a lost hope...but then again... 

Helm's Deep had proven successful. 

"Let us hope that the sun will rise..."   


~*~ 

Rachel stuck her nose outside the door and peered in each direction. She didn't want to be caught leaving her quarters at three in the morning. She wanted to watch the moon and speak with the stars...yeah...the Silmarillion said elves could do that... 

Rachel tripped and looked down at Pippin, sprawled across the floor. She chuckled at the expression on his face and helped him to his feet. 

"I'm sorry, Pip! I should have watched where I was going." 

"Don't worry about it! I'm fine. And what're YOU doin' out this early?" Pippin asked, skipping alongside Rachel as she walked down the corridor, smiling. He smirked and a mischievous chuckle escaped his lips. "You wouldn't be visiting a certain elf, would you? And here I was this entire time, thinkin' my Rachel was an innocent!" he said, jokingly dismayed. When Rachel pushed him playfully, he laughed and pretended to be knocked back uncontrollably against a wall. They came upon a row of courtyards and strode in, battling each other with invisible swords. Both were laughing quietly when a rustle in the trees caught their attention. Pippin, having noticed who was there from a small hole in the greenery at his eye level pushed Rachel forward and winked when she looked at him questioningly. She smiled and watched him shuffle backward. He loved her as much as Merry loved Holly...but just like Holly, Rachel was a no touch item and the hobbits had finally decided to help out the lusty couples, despite the fact that they'd be giving up on a few fantasies. (A/N: where is was never said out right, it's been implied throughout the entire story that Merry and Pippin had crushes for the girls...just so fill you in since it's been so long...) Pippin turned the corner and left the lovers behind him. Walking to his room, Pippin laughed and jumped around a bit. He felt great. 

~*~ 

Legolas stood watching the stars, speaking to them. A tear trickled down his face as he could almost see Rachel's death in the upcoming battle. He heard screams, felt orc breath on his neck, orc blood upon his face and hands. He could hear himself screaming, slashing, cutting, dodging, crying...It was enough to break the elf's heart. As he felt it begin to rip, the seering pain bleeding through his chest and the strength of Elethain leave him, a hand grasped his and he was immediately snapped out of his deathly trance. Rachel stood beside him, never even suspecting that he had almost...actually allowed his heart to... 

"Beautiful, aren't they?" she said, looking up with a soft smile. Legolas nodded, his tear suspended on his cheek, as if asking him whether or not to fall. 

"Yes, they are..." He was, of course, not talking about the stars...He was carressing her lips and eyes and neck and jaw and forehead with his eyes. His hand went slack on her's and she looked at him, somewhat worried. Seeing a tear upon his face, she decided that it wasn't something to have him dwell over...she could find it within him without having to ask question aloud. She pushed her cheek against his, wiping the cheek away as she nuzzled it lovignly. Legolas was lost in the moments and his eyelids slid almost closed as he purred with a strong, steady throat. Rachel looked up at him and smiled, hugging him closely. 

"I'm glad you have found me," Legolas said, pained by his weakness against his heart and depression. He looked at his bride and could hardly believe that it had happened. He should be happy for the time he had with her...which would be all the time the earth could provide him. 

"If I recall..." Rachel started, in a more teasing tone, "you helped tie me up when we met. So really, you found me." She smiled deviously and poked his chest. Legolas smirked and titled his head toward her ear. Rachel could feel the heat of his breath on her neck and the moisture of his words against her earlobe: 

"I wasn't alive until you..." 

Legolas barely kissed Rachel's earlobe before she turned and kissed his lips, wanting to taste the honeysuckle of his mouth. A subtle kiss, it seemed to match the silk of the moonlight that lay upon the courtyard. However, the wanning moon was dispersing and the sunrise shone shone over the far off mountains in the once-black-now-purple sky, setting an orange hue to work. And even upon the rise of the sun and the soldiers of Gondor, the elves had not broken their lover's embrace.   
  
  


A/N: What do you think? XD Pretty good, ne? I liked it ^^;;;   
  
  
  
  



	93. The Big Day

Disclaimer: Nope...Nada....Zzzzzzip...*crickets chirp*...Yep... 

Time: The Big Day I   
  


A/N: WHOO HOLLY AND BOROMIR GETTAN' MARRIED!!!! :DDDDD YEAH!!!!!! *gruuvs* (")...(^"^)...(>")> -- Yeah o.o;; that's me gruuvin'....   
  


Holly awoke with a groan and looked over at what she thought would be an alarm clock, but instead was an empty bottle of ale. "Denethor...Pub... Ale...Party... Hangover..." Holly whined, remembering that last night she and the guys (Aragorn, Boromir, hobbits, Denethor, Faramir, Thorn, and all those men...except for Legolas...that damned elf has a stick up his ass or something: never parties...) and oddly enough the only thing she remembers is dancing on the bar with Denethor...Her hand went limp and she shoved her face back down into the pillow, damning Middle Earth for not having an alarm clock for her to throw. Then, squinting over at the glass bottle on her night stand, she shrugged and reached for it. Stuffing her face back into the pillow, she groggily threw it against the wall and heard a satisfying shatter. 

"Throwing stuff...the natural Motrin," Rachel chuckled from the balcony. She leaned against the railing, a silken dress folded neatly over her arm, airing in the late morning breeze. Holly lifted her head and rolled over, nearly falling off the bed, to look a t the elf. 

"Damnit," she sighed, "okay okay, what time is it?" 

"Time for you to get up. It's eleven," Rachel said, throwing a bottle of pain killers at Holly. Holly, having just been hit on the head, threw a string of vibrant curses at Rachel, who laughed and gave Holly a glass of water for the pills. 

"What?! There's only one in here!" Holly explained, discouraged. Rachel ignored her and continued to lay out Holly's clothing for the day to come. Heels. Veil. Make up. Sash. Dress. Train...Holly shrugged at the water, threw it on her head, and downed the pill straight from the bottle, just then noticing it was an orange prescription bottle. Checking the label, she saw it was Hydrocodone, a very powerful pain killer. 

"Hey, Rae...why do you have these? I don't remember you getting hurt," Holly trailed off, looking concernedly at her friend. Rachel smiled warily and sat down on the floor in her velvet and leather tunic. 

"Ever since I left the force, I've gotten migraines. It's no big deal. I'm basically over them." Holly watched her friend suspiciously as she put her hands behind her head and closed her eyes, content in resting against Holly's wall. 

"Fine, be content you crazy bastard. Damnit, you're so hard to decipher," Holly sighed, getting up and stretching. Almost immediately she heard a chuckle from the corner of her room and then glanced at her enterage of clothing and...HEELS?!?!?!?!!? 

"NO! I REFUSE!" Holly said, tripping backwards. Rachel broke into guffaws and Holly looked at her, petrified, remembering how many stairs she fell down and how many bruises she got last time she tried to wear them for Boromir. Rachel stood and slinked to the bed, grabbing the shoes and swaying them in the air in front of Holly. 

"NO! VIVE LA RESISTANCE!!!!" Holly screamed, scrambling out the door on her hands and knees, completely forgetting the pounding she felt in her temples. Rachel threw the shoes out into the hallway and heard her human friend squeak in fright as they sailed toward her. Laughing, the elf shook her head and fell to the floor in contentment. She smiled up at the ceiling, her arms spread like eagle wings. 

A few moments passed when she heard the soft padding of an animal come toward the door. Shifting her head in that direction, she saw a black, silky mug come into view as Mornie walked in, panting leisurely. The oversized wolf looked around and whined a little, his tail falling to his legs. 

"Looking for Holly?" 

Mornie bit the air in acknowledgment. 

"She went that-a-way." Rachel pointed toward the courtyards and Mornie leaped from the balcony, landing squarely some two hundred feet below Holly's room. Rachel stood and leaned over the railing, and whistled seeing Mornie gallop off toward Holly's scent. 

"Damn! I wish I could do that..."   


~*~   


Holly ran down the hallway and away from the: 

"Fucking shoes from HELL!!!" she yelled right before she made her way down another set of stairs. She jumped them two, three, four at a time. Upon reaching the soft grasses of the courtyards, she collapsed, gasping for air and staring at the blue sky and colorful butterflies gliding above the flowers. Almost instantly, a warmth cascaded over her body, overwhelming her chest and stomach and neck until it finally found her face and made her smile and laugh for no noticeable reason. And then, the words escaped her, loud and strong. 

"I'M GETTING MARRIED! WHOOOOOO HOOO!!!!!!" she yelled, listening to her words bounce off the stone terraces of Gondor. Afterward she conducted her silent orchestra, singing this long since forgotten tune: 

"HOLLY AND BOROMIR SITTIN' IN A TREE   
K-I-S-S-I-N-G   
FIRST COMES LOVE   
THEN COMES MARRIAGE   
THEN COMES THE BABY IN A BABY CARRIAGE...er...*cough* or whatever they cart their kids around in..." 

Holly sighed and put her hands behind her head, imagining the life she was going to be leading after that night. So much different than the life she had left behind...but...in so many ways, so akin to it. She smiled with a warm tint in her eyes. This was going to be the best thing that had ever or would ever happen to her. 

All of a sudden, a wet, cold nose pressed against her cheek and Holly squeaked in surprise as Mornie nudged her playfully, smiling in his wolven way. Holly stood and giggled as the wolf jumped around her in happiness, understanding why she was so excited and joyous. Mornie wanted to share that feeling with her. 

"Mornie, you nut!" Holly yelled, tackling him and wrestling with her canine friend. Pure happiness. Yep. That's what it was. Pure happiness.   


~*~   


Boromir breathed in the fresh air as it invaded his chambers. These rooms would no longer be his after the night's events. The steward's chambers would be passed to him and if Aragorn chose to stay, the King's chambers would of course be his. It was a gracious thing and Boromir intended to spend every moment...eve-- 

A tear slid down his cheek and he smiled through this happiest of sorrows. Holly was his. It was...just beyond his grasp of imagining. Holly was his...and she would be forever.   
  


A/N: Hey :D This is dedicated to LittleSaiyanGirl who has always read my story and been a great motivator! ^_^ Thanks! (And Holly, my story conceptionist-pal-person? You know that this is all because you bugged me enough! Thanks to you too!)   
  



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